Code of Silence
by KoshIII
Summary: Set in naughtybookworm's "Desperados" AU in which House and Wilson have adopted an abused 9 year old musical prodigy named David.  Wilson has an affair, and it nearly destroys the family.  References to past child abuse.  Some present neglect.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, here's the new story. This is set in naughtybookworm's Desperado series, so if you haven't read that, you should! She has also at long last started updating again! The stories are posted at her livejournal. The main necessary background is that House and Wilson have adopted an abused boy named David. This IS a kid!fic, so if you aren't into that, don't read. This is set the summer after David's 4th grade year.**

* * *

It was David's last day of fourth grade, and he waited for Sammy to shove his last two pencils into his backpack. David looked around the classroom, amazed that the school year had been so good. He had always done well in school, but this was the first time he actually felt good about coming to school every day. He had a best friend, and the other kids talked to him all the time, even though he really didn't think he had anything all that interesting to say. Now it was over, and next year he'd be in fifth grade – he had even signed up to be an older "buddy" for a student in third grade. He would act as their mentor to show them the ropes. He couldn't believe it. It seemed like just yesterday that _David_ had been in third grade himself.

Sammy swung his backpack around and expertly looped his arm through one of the straps. David followed suit, and the two went to wait for their rides outside the front of the school.

"When do you leave for sleepover camp?" David asked.

"Next week," Sammy answered, looking a little nervous. His parents had decided that Sammy was old enough to go away for camp this year, and were sending him to an exciting sounding place in upstate New York. There would be swimming, sports, arts and crafts, and amateur music – almost the opposite of the school year. After seeing how Sammy behaved at home, David had a feeling that Sammy's parents were a little glad to get rid of him for a few weeks.

"You could still go, too. Ask your dads," Sammy pleaded. He didn't want to go to a strange new place alone.

David shook his head. He and House had been through a long discussion about summer plans. He had gone to a music camp last summer and loved it, but he had never had a happy, carefree summer. David really just wanted to spend the summer at home with his Daddy and Wilson. Although he knew he _could_ manage away from home and on his own, he didn't _want_ to. House seemed to understand, and convinced Wilson that David didn't need to go to camp, or classes, or any other summer program. Wilson would have preferred to see David socialize with other kids his age, but also agreed that David needed a calm summer for once in his life.

"I don't want to go to camp this year, Sammy," David said softly.

"Neither do I!" Sammy exclaimed. But then he stopped to think about it. "But maybe the lake sounds kind of cool. And I heard they have archery there. And I've never ridden horseback..."

Both boys smiled at each other. Then they saw Sammy's mom pull up. Sammy picked up his backpack, and waved goodbye. "I'll send you e-mail! See ya!"

David waved back, and waited for Wilson to get there. He could not remember ever feeling this relaxed. He didn't have to come back to school next week. He could spend his time doing whatever he pleased. As relaxed as he was, something still felt empty, and he thought he might miss school – just a bit. He put the feeling aside as he saw Wilson pulling up to the curb. It was summer vacation and he was bound and determined to enjoy it. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Wilson was unusually subdued.

* * *

_He walked in the entrance way after school, hoping she would be back. His mother had not been there this morning, but she had been gone before, sometimes for over a day. He felt around for his key, and realized that he didn't have it! He must have left it inside this morning. He knocked tentatively on the door, not wanting to interrupt if his mother was with a 'client.' There was no answer. He knocked louder, but was met with silence. He slunk down to the floor, looking at his watch. Three-thirty. Maybe she was just out somewhere. He took his math homework out of his bag, and tried to concentrate; anything to take his mind off of the thoughts that were getting louder and louder. An hour passed, then two. If she was just out running an errand, she would have been back by now, even if she had left right before he got home. The knowledge slowly sunk in. She wasn't coming back. His heart started pounding as he tried to think of what to do. He had to get inside. He stood up and started pounding on the door, shoving it in case he could get it open without the key. He pounded and pounded and – _

David woke up when he accidentally whacked his arm on the headboard. His heart was pounding so fast that he could barely breathe. Just a nightmare. Usually when they happened, before too long he would start making noises, or in the very worst cases, scream, and House or Wilson would come and wake him up, then sit with him until he calmed down and fell back to sleep. This time he had woken himself up.

Should he wake up one of his dads? David listened to the blood pounding in his ears, thinking. He would be okay. He didn't need somebody to sit with him. He knew from experience that eventually he would relax again and be fine. But right now he felt so alone – he wanted House to lay on his bed with him. He wanted that comfort; that security. House would also probably know why he had dreamed about that particular incident again now. He threw back the covers and got out of bed. He walked into the Great Room, toward House and Wilson's bedroom. He stopped when he heard angry murmurs from House's bedroom.

"_Did you think I wouldn't find out?" House asked, his voice low and dangerous sounding._

"_Did I think you would listen in on my phone calls and read my e-mail? No, I thought I would get a modicum of respect for my privacy from you, you asshole!"_

"_WHY?" House outright yelled. "So you could run around on me while I stayed home, clueless?"_

"_I was going to tell you, House. I swear. And it was only three times –"_

"_Why did it happen at _all_? Why wasn't I good enough for you?"_

David wasn't sure what they were arguing about, but he had never heard them fight this passionately, or loudly. This was bad. David's heart continued to pound quickly. He backed away and went back to his own room, shakily getting back into bed. He pulled the blanket up loosely over his head and curled in on himself, covering his ears to block out the ugly sounds of his dads fighting. He knew he should go back to sleep, but couldn't manage to close his eyes. Long after the voices from the other side of the wall had faded, he stared straight ahead, wide awake.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning, David watched his dads warily, trying to determine whether they had resolved their fight or were still mad at each other. Neither man noticed David, and it was clear that whatever it was had _not_ been resolved.

David gulped his coffee, exhausted. He had pretty much been up all night long, and wished he could go back to bed. But this was the first "real" day of his summer vacation – the first Monday since school had let out. He was going to be allowed to spend all day with his Daddy at the hospital, and he was looking forward to it. He pushed his cereal around in the bowl, not eating any of it. Eventually House grabbed the bowl from him and chucked it in the sink.

"Come on, we're going to be late," he almost growled.

David was surprised. Usually when he ate so little, House or Wilson would cajole him into eating more – even if just a few bites. Today neither man seemed to notice at all. Warily, David went to his room to grab his bag, which he had packed the night before. Not wanting to displease House by making him late, David ran back into the living room. House grabbed his own backpack and the two made their way down to House's car. David saw Wilson leave the house, too, but House drove off without waiting for him.

That was odd. They were all going to the same place, and they were leaving at the same time – why wasn't Wilson driving with them? Did Daddy just forget Wilson? David wasn't sure whether to bring it up or not, as House did not seem like he was in a good mood. He remained silent. After all, he guessed that Wilson could just drive his own car.

They got to the hospital without exchanging a word. Normally this wouldn't worry David, because they could both be very quiet people on occasion. Today, though, David spent the whole ride watching his Daddy grip the steering wheel, white-knuckled. Something was going on, and David was sure it was bad.

David settled in at House's desk, setting up his laptop and unpacking his bag. He kept one eye on House in the other room, talking to his team. He wondered if House was going to go say hi to Wilson at some point. David thought about just going out to the balcony and seeing Wilson himself, but he didn't want to make Daddy mad. It was cozy in House's inner office, and David thought that he just might put his head down for a few minutes and catch a few winks. He had nothing better to do, anyway.

House caught David napping and smiled to himself. David was his rock amidst the Storm of Wilson. Whatever ended up happening with Wilson, House knew that David would still love him unconditionally. He looked adorable with the desk chair ratcheted up to the highest level, his head down on the desk, and a tiny line of drool inching down his cheek. House moved quietly, so as not to wake him up, but David popped awake anyway.

"Hi, Daddy," he whispered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Mornin' sunshine!" House loved teasing David. "Did you have a nice nap?"

David nodded. He looked through the window into the conference room, and saw that the team was all gone, so he must have been asleep for some time.

"Finding anything exciting to do back here on your own?"

"Not yet, but I will."

"Well, napping is kind of exciting. In fact, I might join you in a while if the team doesn't need me."

"It's okay, I'm awake now."

"Oh good, well then you can watch me sleep and wake me up when it's time for lunch," House teased.

David shrugged. "Okay," he said, completely serious.

House sighed. With all that was going on with Wilson, he hadn't realized that something was apparently not right with David today. He made a note to keep an eye on David, and see if he could find any clues to the problem. In the meantime, David needed something to do if he was going to be spending any significant amount of time at the hospital.

"Is your laptop hooked up to the internet?" House asked.

David nodded. House and Wilson had decided that he could have a laptop after they realized that all of the other kids at school had access to a computer at home. Although Wilson objected for a while, arguing that they didn't want to spoil David with fancy electronics that he didn't need, House pointed out that he didn't want David using either of _their_ computers, so he needed one of his own. And it might as well be a laptop. House had shown him how to find a wireless network to connect to the internet, so David was able to connect at the hospital, at home, and any place with an unsecured network. Up to this point, David had not explored very much because he had heard a lot of horror stories about the dangers of the internet. He did know how to use e-mail, but it downloaded right to his desktop, and he only remembered to check about once a week anyway. A couple of times his class had gone to the computer lab at school to play some math games, and he had once, with Wilson's help, used Google to research for his report on Thomas Jefferson. Since then he had stuck to the music composing software that House had installed for him. He was more interested in that than whatever was on the internet, anyway.

"Let me see for a minute," House demanded. He pulled the laptop toward him and started typing and clicking. David couldn't see what he was doing. Finally, House pushed the computer back to David.

"It's a chat room," he pronounced excitedly. David looked at House quizzically.

"You type in what you want to say, and people all around the world and country will talk back to you."

David made no move to type. "I don't _know_ anybody from around the world."

"I know, that's the point. You'll meet new people, and you never even have to leave New Jersey. Just pick a name."

David's eyes narrowed. "I _have_ a name," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but this will be your chat user name. 'David' is probably already taken."

David continued to sit quietly, making no move to join the chat room. House sighed. "Maybe you could try David1998 – the year you were born."

David didn't really have any interest, but to make House happy, he typed in "David1998" as the username, and the chat accepted it and logged him in. "Now what?"

"Now wait for a minute and see what they're talking about." House had found a kid-friendly chat, advertised as being for 18 and under. He had joined the "Reading" chat room – nerdy for most kids, but perfect for David. They both watched as typing scrolled across the screen. Then David realized something.

"Hey, they're talking about Diary of A Wimpy Kid. I read that book last month!"

House smiled. "What did you think about it?"

"I thought it was cool how it was in cartoons. I bet that made it easier for some kids to read."

House gestured to the keyboard. "So that's what you write."

David looked at the screen again and began thoughtfully typing. After a few minutes, House could tell that David was totally focused on the chat. He quietly backed away and went into the conference room to think about his case, leaving David to his new-found activity.

* * *

David found he actually had an appetite for dinner. House had pulled him away from his chat at lunch time, but David had rushed right back to it as soon as he could. At the end of the day, as House was packing up his things to leave, David was surprised to realize he had been in the chat room for hours. It had started out as a conversation about books, but then he and the other chatters had answered questions about each other. David found out that one guy was from California, and one girl lived in Idaho. He had asked all sorts of questions about the weather, their schools, what they did for fun, and had in turn answered a whole slew of questions. Jake, the boy in California, who was eleven (David was very excited to have made an older friend) told David that they could talk through e-mail, and the two had exchanged information so they could stay in touch. He was excited to fill House and Wilson in on all of this. The only problem was that neither House nor Wilson seemed to be speaking at the moment.

David watched Wilson reach right past House for another roll without asking. "Wilson, wanna know what happened to me today?"

Wilson looked up, as if brought out of a stupor. It wasn't often that David initiated the dinner conversation. He usually had to be gently guided into talking about his day. Wilson had not been paying attention to David at all recently, and he immediately felt bad. "Of course, baby. How was your day?"

David smiled, somewhat reassured by the question he had come to expect. "I met a new friend. His name is Jake and he's eleven!"

"At the hospital?" Wilson asked as he buttered his roll.

"No, on the internet. He lives in California!"

At this Wilson dropped his roll and glared at House. House shrugged. Wilson was furious.

"You let him play around on the internet unsupervised?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"It was a kids' chat room. What's the big deal?"

"What's the big _deal_? _Anybody_ could go on there and pretend to be a kid. He could have been talking to a _pedophile_ all day long!"

"Oh, for the love of – you've got to relax, Wilson. Nothing happened. He made a friend. There's no problem. And I notice _you_ didn't even bother to check in all day long."

David's eyes had become as wide as saucers as he looked back and forth between House and Wilson. "Please don't fight," he said softly. "I won't go on the internet anymore, Wilson."

Neither House nor Wilson appeared to have heard David at all. Wilson slammed his hand on the table and got up. David flinched.

"You told me you needed your space, that's why I didn't go visit you in your office. Besides, I knew I'd be seeing you at home, where we could continue this shit ad nauseam."

David had been trying to remain calm, but ran from the kitchen when he heard Wilson swear. In the almost two years he had known Wilson, he had _never_ heard him swear, and it scared him to death. David closed the door to his room and for the first time ever, locked it. He didn't know what was going on, but he did know two things: first, in his experience with angry people, the next step for arguments like the one currently taking place in the kitchen was hitting. Second, he had caused this one by telling Wilson about the chat room.

David willed himself to stay calm, trying to breathe slowly. He reminded himself that he had never seen House or Wilson hit anybody, so there was no reason to think that they would tonight. Just in case, though, he slid under his comforter, covering his whole body up to the top of his head, and curled up tightly. He found himself shivering, even though he knew he wasn't cold. He would stay just like this for hours, if he had to, and ride out the storm raging in the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

In the kitchen, House and Wilson stopped fighting when they realized David had disappeared. House sighed. "We scared him."

Wilson nodded. "We need to talk to him."

"What do we tell him? Are _you_ gonna tell him the truth?"

"I don't know, House, but we can't go on like this."

"No, we can't," said House softly. Both men were silent for a moment.

"I'll move out," Wilson offered. "I'll get a hotel room. But what do we tell David?"

"I don't know. We'll have to figure something out, though." House limped across the house to David's bedroom and pushed on the door. It didn't budge.

Wilson and House looked at each other, confused. House tried the doorknob, and it didn't turn – David had locked himself in his room.

"Shit," House muttered. "David? Are you okay in there?"

David, who had calmed down by this time, got out of bed and walked to the door, feeling a little foolish that he had overreacted. He reached for the door to unlock it, but stopped with his hand on the knob.

"House?"

"Yeah, David?"

"Are you guys still mad at each other?"

House looked at Wilson. "We're done arguing, if that's what you're asking. But that's what we want to talk to you about."

Unsure, David unlocked the door and let the two men in. House got right into bed with David, while Wilson sat in the desk chair.

House took a deep breath, not exactly sure how to start. "David...you've probably noticed that Wilson and I are having some issues right now."

David nodded, not sure if he was supposed to say anything. He guessed not, though, because House kept going after a second.

"Well...right now we have some problems that are just too big to be solved quickly. We need some time to work on them, and talk to each other. We need some time away from each other, too – to be alone and think. So..." House looked right into David's eyes, bracing himself. "Wilson is going to move out for a while."

David understood the need to be alone. He often required hours of simple time by himself, just to recharge his batteries. But he would never dream of actually moving _out_. What was going on? "Where's he going to go?" he asked sadly.

Wilson broke in. "I won't go far, hon. I'll probably just get a room in a hotel nearby. I'll still come over and see you. And I'll see you at the hospital. You can call me any time."

David didn't want to call him anytime. He wanted to see Wilson at home, where he belonged. He felt like things were going back to the way they had been when he first met House – when Wilson was only around occasionally, and this wasn't his home. But this _was_ his home now, so why was he leaving?

"When are you coming back?" he asked quietly, dreading the answer.

Wilson shook his head. "I don't know yet, David. That will be one of the things we'll be talking about during that time."

David couldn't think of anything else to say, so he just sat, looking at Wilson. House rubbed his leg. "Do you have any questions?"

David did have a lot of questions, but he shook his head no. He didn't know how to form his thoughts into coherent questions.

House waited for David to say something, but when no questions were forthcoming, brought up what the two had pretended not to notice. "Can I ask you something, David?"

David nodded and looked up at his Daddy.

"Why did you lock the door earlier?" House continued rubbing David's leg soothingly. Even so, David looked away and didn't answer.

"Were you scared when we were fighting?"

David still said nothing, wishing they could change the subject.

House thought for a minute. He was pretty sure he knew what was going on in David's head, but he needed to think for a while to figure out the best way to say what he wanted to say.

"David...we didn't mean to scare you. You know that no matter how upset either of us gets, we would never hurt each other. Or you. You know that, right?"

David knew House wanted him to agree, but he just couldn't bring himself to nod or say anything. The truth was, he wasn't completely sure...and he couldn't lie to House.

House sighed. "Next time you start to get scared, say something. Tell us what's going on inside your head."

At this, David couldn't remain silent. "I _did_ say something. You ignored me." Then he clammed back up again.

House looked at David, shocked. He tried to replay the incident in the kitchen in his head. Had David said anything? He couldn't remember. He couldn't think of what to say.

Wilson took over. "Oh, baby, we didn't mean to. We're both sorry you got scared. It's not fair to you when we fight like that."

House nodded, thankful that Wilson had found the words to what he, himself had been trying to say. David had a blank expression on his face, though, and House couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I'd like to go to sleep now," David requested.

House looked at Wilson. "Okay. What story do you want tonight?"

"No story please. I'm just tired." David wasn't really lying – he _was_ exhausted, since he had gotten so little sleep last night.

House looked pained, but got up from David's bed. "Let us know if you need anything, okay?"

David nodded, not meeting House's eyes. House and Wilson left David alone to figure out their own fractured relationship. He could hear them whispering to each other in the living room.

"I'll just pack a suitcase tonight and come back for some more things tomorrow," Wilson said.

House nodded. "You can come any time, Wilson. You know that."

He limped off to his bedroom, leaving Wilson alone.

David lay in bed, listening to the sounds of Wilson packing. He was really doing it – he was really leaving. David didn't know what had happened between the two men, but it must have been really serious...and really private. Neither man had mentioned anything about what the problem was during their talk with him.

He heard the front door open and close, and he knew Wilson had left. He tried to shut his eyes and sleep, but couldn't turn off his thoughts. Finally, when he just couldn't stand being in bed any longer, he got up and turned on his laptop. If he wasn't going to sleep, he might as well see if there was anybody in that chat room that he could talk to.

He logged on like House had shown him, and started typing to the occupants of the room. He discovered that he was chatting with somebody in Oregon, and that they were three hours behind his time. He Googled timezones and found a map of the world, broken into timezones. Eventually his new friend in Oregon had to say goodbye, because it was getting late. David looked at the clock and realized it was one in the morning! He had to get off, too, or he would never get to sleep.

David said his goodbyes and went back to bed. He tried to relax, closing his eyes and thinking of nothing in particular. He just wasn't falling asleep. He tried listening to his ipod, even selecting a relaxing Mozart concerto. The piece ended and he was still wide awake. He ripped the ipod off and rolled over, thinking that maybe if he adjusted his position, he would fall asleep more easily. Nothing he tried worked, and he ended up getting out of bed yet again. He grabbed the comforter and wandered into the living room, where he was closer to House's bedroom. He could hear House gently snoring, and climbed onto the couch with his comforter. He finally fell asleep on the couch, soothed by the steady sound of House's rumbles.

* * *

David awoke to the sound of House's shower. Gathering his wits, he grabbed his comforter and ran to his room, throwing it back on his bed before House could find out that he'd slept in the living room. He dragged himself through his morning ritual, taking a shower and packing his bag. Finally, he made his way to the kitchen.

House was sitting at the table, nursing a mug of coffee. He appeared not to notice David, or the lack of breakfast foods in front of him. Concerned, David reached up on the counter for the box of Cheerios. He opened the refrigerator and found the milk, then looked up at the cupboards. They were way too high for David to reach on his own. Thinking quickly, he dragged his chair away from the table and set it next to the counter. Then he climbed up onto the chair and opened the cupboard, looking for bowls. It was only then that House noticed what David was doing.

"David!" he said, a bit harshly. "What do you think you're doing?"

David looked down at him, two bowls in his hand. "We need bowls."

House gave him a look of such confusion that David wondered if House even knew it was morning. He carefully set the bowls down on the counter, then climbed off of the chair. He found two spoons and brought everything over to the table, filling both bowls with Cheerios and milk.

House was still just holding on to his coffee. He made no effort to eat his cereal, and David found that he didn't have much of an appetite, either. He wished House would say _something_ – anything. He just didn't seem okay. David guessed he was really missing Wilson. But if that's what it was, why didn't House just call Wilson and make up? Then he could move back in, and all three of them would be happy again.

After watching House stare blankly into space for about twenty minutes, David spoke up. "Daddy, I think we're going to be late."

House finally seemed to snap out of whatever funk he was in, and looked at his watch. "Okay, let's go."

House walked into the living room, leaving all of his dishes on the table. David frowned and carefully took everything over to the sink. He ran water over everything so that there wouldn't be any sticky residue on the dishes when they got home. Then he ran to get his backpack so they could go.

When they got to the hospital, David looked at Wilson's closed office door as they passed it in the hall. He followed House into his own office and got settled, then decided to take a nap. He had not gotten very much sleep in the last few days, and he felt exhausted. He climbed onto House's Eames chair and fell asleep within minutes. House ran his differential with David asleep on the chair, and his team thought it was incredibly cute. At some point someone stole a hospital blanket and draped it over David.

House let David sleep right through lunch time, because he himself forgot about it. He was busy researching possible causes of fainting that could be affecting their patient. David woke up at about three, and saw that House was busy at work. Not wanting to disturb him, David just sat and watched for a while.

House slowly got the feeling of eyes boring into the back of his head. He turned around and saw that David was awake.

"Hey," David said.

"Hey," House said back. "Did you have a nice nap?"

David nodded. He wondered how Wilson was doing. Usually it wouldn't bother him to let a day go by without stopping into Wilson's office, but he knew he wouldn't be seeing Wilson at home, and that fact gnawed at his thoughts. He thought of the best way to breach the subject with House without upsetting him. Drawing a blank, he decided to just ask.

"Daddy...do you think...I mean, would it be okay if I went to Wilson's office for a while?"

House looked at David in complete confusion. "Of course. You know you don't have to ask."

David let out a sight of relief. It did not go unnoticed by House.

"Did you think I wouldn't let you see Wilson anymore?"

David shrugged. "I thought you might want me to be mad at him, too. Because of whatever he did."

House sighed. "First of all, I'm not mad at him." Not exactly the truth, but the truth was a lot more complicated than he felt like explaining at the moment.

"Second, you love Wilson and Wilson loves you. No matter what problems Wilson and I have, nothing will change that. Of course it's okay for you to keep seeing Wilson. And third, what makes you think he did something?"

David squirmed, not wanting to answer. "I heard you yelling at him. I'm sorry for eavesdropping."

"You were listening at our door?"

"No, I heard it in my room. Through the walls."

House's eyebrows raised. For David to hear them fighting in House's bedroom, the sound had to have carried all the way through the walls of both bedrooms, passing through the living room on the way. He hadn't realized they had been that loud. "I'm so sorry, David. We didn't know you could hear us. We shouldn't have yelled."

David shrugged. He didn't know what to say. He agreed – he didn't think House and Wilson should have yelled at each other or argued at all. But he thought House probably already knew that.

"I'm going to go over to his office now," was all he said.

House nodded. "I'll be here when you get back."

David wandered down the hall, taking the indoor route this time. He tentatively knocked on Wilson's door, which was still closed. Wilson answered, looking tired. His face brightened when he saw that it was David at his door.

"Hey there! Come in. Tell me about what you've been doing today."

David followed Wilson and sat in one of the patient chairs. "Not much. I took a nap."

"You took a nap? Were you tired?"

"Yeah," David answered, looking down. Wilson put his hand on David's forehead.

"Hmmmm, you don't feel warm."

"I'm not sick, Wilson. Just tired."

"Oh. Well do you feel better now?"

David actually did feel better. He nodded. "How has your day been?" he asked politely.

Wilson smiled. "Well it just got a whole lot better."

* * *

That night David felt so well rested from his long nap that he couldn't even think about going to sleep. He immediately went to his desk and logged in to his chat room. He had spent the whole day either silent or talking about nothing in particular with House and Wilson. For once he actually wanted to talk to people. He was looking forward to seeing his friend in Oregon. David wanted to ask him about his dog, and whether he lived near a beach. On the map it looked like Oregon should have a lot of beaches, but he had never heard of anybody going to the beach there. In fact, he had never really heard of Oregon before at all.

David became engrossed in his conversations and realized that it was actually almost five in the morning. He had managed to basically stay up all night. Now he was _really_ going to be tired during the day. He guessed he could just take another nap in House's office. He wondered if House would even notice.

Since he was up anyway, David made his way into the kitchen. He rinsed off the dishes that had piled up in the sink, and placed them into the dishwasher. Then he climbed up his chair again to get two more bowls for breakfast – might as well do it before House woke up and saw him. He put everything they would need except the milk onto the kitchen table. Then he eyed the coffee machine. He had seen House and Wilson do this a hundred times, so he was pretty sure he could do it, too. First he threw out yesterday's used filter that House had left there. The grounds were cold and looked like dirt. David made a face. He found a new filter, filled it with grounds from the container of coffee on the counter, and placed it in the basket. He ignored the container of decaf that Wilson had been trying to sneak into their coffee. David didn't think he needed the full strength coffee, but he had a feeling that House definitely would. The only other thing he would need would be water. House usually filled the pitcher with water, then poured it into the top of the coffee maker. David grabbed the pitcher. It still had yesterday's stale coffee in it. He sighed and washed it out, then set it on the coffee maker to dry while he took his shower. He would brew the coffee in a little while, when it was closer to the time House normally awoke.

When House came into the kitchen for breakfast over an hour later, he absently poured himself a cup of coffee. It was as if he didn't even realize that he, himself, hadn't brewed the coffee. David sat and watched House as they both picked at their cereal. When they both gave up trying to eat, David took their dishes to the sink and rinsed them. He put everything in the dishwasher and noticed that it was pretty full. Running the dishwasher was another thing he had never tried to do, but he decided to give it a shot. He filled it with detergent from the cabinet under the sink, then looked at the dial. It had a setting for "Regular Wash," so he decided to try that. Soon after he moved the dial, he heard the telltale swishing of dishes becoming clean. He smiled and went to find House.

House was sitting on the sofa in the living room, staring off into space. David ran to his room to grab his bag, then walked up to House.

"Time to go," he said with authority. House looked at him, then nodded and got up. David had the feeling that if he hadn't said anything, House might have stayed there on the couch all day. It was almost as if he, David, were the grown-up. He hadn't had that feeling in a year and a half, and it scared him.


	3. Chapter 3

A week passed, and David spent his days in much the same way – he made sure that he and House had breakfast, pushed them both out the door, then collapsed in House's office for the rest of the day. When they got home from the hospital, he would practice piano for an hour or two, then figure out how to cook dinner. House never joined him at the piano anymore – in fact, he never played at all. David missed playing with his Daddy, but he knew that if House wasn't playing, something was very wrong.

At night David would chat with old and new friends. He never mentioned what was going on in his life; preferring to talk about anything else. He needed the distraction. On those rare nights when he was able to sleep for a few hours, he dragged his linens out to the living room and drifted asleep to the sound of House's snoring. It was the closest he felt to House throughout the entire day. House was withdrawing from him; withdrawing from everybody and everything, actually. David had no idea how to fix it.

After three days, they ran out of milk. David was stymied for a few minutes, until he remembered that they had oatmeal. He looked at the canister and read the directions. He wasn't sure if he should be boiling water by himself, but he thought it was worth a try. Besides, he didn't really have a choice. He set the water to boiling, then looked in the refrigerator. They were going to be running out of a lot of things soon. He wondered if House had any plans to go to the grocery store or order groceries online. House normally placed an order about once a week, but he had been extremely distracted lately. Wilson used to remind House about it, but now he was gone.

David turned his attention to the oatmeal, adding the appropriate amount of oats to the water. He stirred until the concoction became thick, then moved the pot to one of the other stove coils that wasn't hot. He had just made his first pot of oatmeal, and he was more than a little proud of himself.

Although he usually slept through lunch, David tried to cook dinner for House and himself every day. He was able to make peanut butter sandwiches, and quickly moved on to macaroni and cheese and spaghetti. The only problem was, as soon as he figured out how to make a food, they soon ran out of it. It got to the point where David was making some really strange meals, like spaghetti and barbeque sauce. House never appeared to mind, or notice at all.

A few days later, David looked for a clean pair of pants to wear, and couldn't find any. All of his clothes were dirty. He grabbed some pants from his hamper and took them to the living room, where he found the bottle of Febreze air freshener. He sprayed into the air, then waved his pants through the fog. Sniffing his newly refreshed pants, he thought about House. If David's clothes were all dirty, House's probably were, too.

When they got home that evening, David grabbed all of their laundry and dumped it in to the washing machine. He noticed that the top of the laundry detergent bottle was actually a measuring cup, too, and he measured out enough detergent for one load. He started the washing machine and hoped it wouldn't overflow with bubbles like he had seen on t.v. He was relieved when it didn't. Half an hour later, he took the clean-smelling clothes out and put them in the dryer, adding one of the fabric softener sheets like he'd seen Wilson do. He wandered in to the living room and sat next to House, who was staring at the t.v. David didn't think House was really paying attention to it, because he appeared to be watching some sort of dog competition. David snuggled close to House, hoping he would get the hint and put his arm around David. When he didn't, David just grabbed onto House's large hand with both of his small hands and didn't let go for a long time.

* * *

One day in his office, House turned to David. "Are you sure you don't want to go to camp or something this summer? I don't want you being bored in this office all day long. I know I'm not good company right now, either."

David panicked. First Wilson had moved out, and now House didn't want him around either. He needed to be close to House so he could keep an eye on him. He didn't want House going anywhere – if House left, he had nobody else. Plus, if he went to camp, he wouldn't be able to chat with his friends at night, and David wasn't sure he could deal with the rest of his day without that oasis of sanity.

"No, please don't make me go to camp. I want to stay here with you."

"Really?" House asked in amazement. He had been sure that David was bored out of his skull.

David nodded vigorously.

"Okay, if you're sure," House said uncertainly. He didn't bring it up again.

* * *

Wilson used his key to let himself into their house. He hadn't been back since two weeks ago when he had moved to the hotel, and he needed to pick up some of his things. David heard the key in the lock and looked up from his book.

"Wilson!" he shouted. House made no move to get up from the couch.

Wilson ran to David and picked him up in a giant hug. "Hey, Buddy. Just came by to grab a few things."

"You're not staying?" David asked as Wilson set him down. Wilson frowned. David had felt even skinnier than he remembered.

"Not this time, baby. Hey, have you had dinner yet?"

David had become so frustrated with the lack of food in the house that he had given up and decided to just skip dinner. But he didn't want Wilson to worry, so he lied.

"Yeah."

"Oh. Well are you still hungry? I could make popcorn and we could go out on the deck and catch up with each other."

David shook his head. "I don't think we have any popcorn, Wilson."

"Oh, okay. Let's see what I can cook up instead." Wilson went into the kitchen, thinking that there should be plenty of snack food there. He seemed to remember buying tortilla chips and salsa. What he didn't know was that House and David had eaten them the night before when David made "Peanut Butter Nachos."

Wilson looked through the cupboards, becoming alarmed. There was almost no food in the house. He looked through the refrigerator and found only soy sauce and ketchup.

"What did you have for dinner, David?"

"Um..." David couldn't think of anything convincing. He knew he and House were busted.

Wilson stormed into the living room. "House!"

House didn't look up.

"House! Listen to me. You have to feed your kid. What have you been feeding him since I left? He's lost at least five pounds."

House acted as if he didn't hear Wilson at all.

Exasperated, Wilson threw up his hands. "I'm taking David out for dinner. See you in two hours."

House shrugged, and finally said something. "Okay."

Wilson called to David, "Come on, David, let's go get something to eat. You can tell me what you've been up to this summer."

David nervously went with Wilson, glancing at House as he walked past. Would House be upset that he was going out with Wilson? Maybe House would like to come along, too. He had to be hungry – neither of them had eaten since breakfast.

"Daddy's not coming?" he asked Wilson timidly.

"Nope, just you and me. Come on, don't want to keep you out too late."

David followed Wilson, but called to House, "We'll be back soon, Daddy!" Then he looked at Wilson uncertainly. "Right?"

"Of course, sweetie. We're just going out to dinner, not Timbuktu."

David was relieved, though he didn't know exactly why. He got into the car, and Wilson drove them to Denny's. Wilson waited until they were settled in at a booth before he tried talking to David.

"David...how are things going with House right now?"

David didn't want to say anything at all. He had learned how to tell when somebody was fishing for information, because he had been asked similar questions about his mother. He hadn't said a word about his mother to anybody else in eight years of misery, and he certainly had no intention of saying anything bad about House. To anyone. Ever.

"Things are fine."

Wilson eyed David. He was clearly lying, but Wilson wasn't sure why. It looked to Wilson like David (and House, too!) had been about to starve when he got there. He wasn't even sure what was keeping the household running at this point. David looked dead tired, and he was avoiding Wilson's stare. He was going to have to approach this subject very delicately.

"What exciting things have you been doing this summer?" he asked casually.

David just shrugged. He hadn't really done much of _anything_ in the past few weeks, except chat (which made Wilson very upset the last time he mentioned it) and cook and clean (which _would_ make Wilson upset if he mentioned it).

"What do you want for dinner?" Wilson asked, thinking that if he changed the subject, he might be able to catch David off-guard later.

"Macaroni and cheese?" David asked, knowing that Wilson would want him to have something with a little more protein. Wilson sighed.

"How about you get the macaroni and cheese, but also get an order of chicken nuggets to go. That way you can have them tomorrow...or later."

"Okay," David answered softly, closing the menu.

Wilson called their waitress over and placed their order, then went back to his assault.

"So have you gone swimming yet this summer?" Wilson remembered taking David to the community pool a few times last summer. He had seemed to really enjoy it, although he tended to stay in the shallow end and avoid socializing with the other kids.

"Not yet."

"Oh, okay. What about the library; how are you doing on your summer reading program?"

David fidgeted. "We didn't register for it yet."

Wilson was beginning to feel extremely worried. David had been so excited about the summer reading program last summer, and had all but demanded to visit the library at least once a week so that he could return his finished books and check out new ones. The program let kids win prizes based on the amount they read. If David had gone by several weeks without even registering, it meant that he was missing out on the prizes, which seemed odd to Wilson. Also, David was almost never without something new to read. What was going on with House and David?

"Have you heard from Sammy?"

David shook his head.

"Oh, well, maybe you should send him an e-mail. He's probably really busy with all the stuff at his camp, but I bet he'd love to hear from you. Or better yet, you could write him a postcard."

"I don't have his address, Wilson." David sounded so forlorn that Wilson's heart almost broke. For the first time in over a year, David was acting – well, _lonely_. He wondered who David was even talking to during the day, as it seemed that House was not the best of company. If Wilson could rewind time, he would argue with House for as long as it took to send David to camp. Now he didn't know what to do. He couldn't move back in, because House was furious at him – and for good reason. He had only seen this woman three times, and it had been over long before House found out about it. But House needed time to cool off so that he could – hopefully – forgive Wilson. Still, Wilson had to do _something_.

"How about this: I'll call Liz and get Sammy's address at camp. Meanwhile, you send him an e-mail just to let him know you're thinking about him. Then on Saturday, I'll take you to the library, then the pool."

David felt a little relieved. Wilson appeared to notice David's problems without David having to explicitly state them, and then proposed a solution that didn't blame anybody, only fixed what was wrong.

"That would be great, Wilson," David said honestly. Wilson could hear the relief in his tone.

Their food came, and David chowed down on his macaroni. Wilson couldn't resist probing a bit more.

"David, why didn't you eat dinner tonight?"

David immediately stopped eating and put his fork down. "Wasn't hungry."

_A likely story_, thought Wilson. _He was just shoveling that macaroni into his mouth like it was his last meal_.

"Do you have food in the house? Have you guys gone grocery shopping recently?"

"Of course," David said, his eyes shifting left and right. He hated lying, especially to Wilson. But he wasn't going to let anything bad happen to House, and he knew House might get in trouble if anybody found out he forgot to feed his kid.

Wilson sighed, and began eating his own dinner. David was wound up tighter than a guitar string, and he wasn't helping any with his incessant questioning. He decided to just let David enjoy the rest of his dinner, and worry about what was wrong tomorrow.

When they got home, Wilson sent David to his room to get ready for bed and stuck his extra chicken nuggets meal into the empty refrigerator, then went to talk to House. He was still on the sofa, exactly where they had left him. Wilson grabbed the remote out of his hand and turned off the t.v. House finally looked up at Wilson with a glare that could melt Antarctica. Wilson ignored it.

"House, I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now, but we need to talk for a few minutes. About David. I'm worried."

At this, House sat up a little straighter. He would be the first to admit that he had not been very focused on David this summer. Was something wrong? What hadn't he noticed?

"He needs to eat, House," Wilson said, much more gently than he had the first time. He could tell now that House looked just as worn out as David, both physically and emotionally. This mess was taking a toll on all three of them, and he hated himself for it.

"You don't have any food in the house. At all. And I don't know who's been doing the chores around here, but you can't just mix your whites and colors, or your whites will _turn_ colors," he said, pointing to House's light pink shirt. It had been white a week ago. House hadn't even noticed.

Wilson plowed on, intent on talking until House finally said something...or agreed to something. "Tomorrow, whenever David's busy for a while, come find me in my office. I think we have a lot to talk about."

At this, David peeked out of his room. He was wearing pajamas, and looked all set for bed. Wilson hopped up and grabbed his hand. "Come on, I'll read you a story tonight."

David didn't want a story at all, but he also didn't want Wilson to leave, so he allowed Wilson to tuck him in.

"What do you want to hear?"

David selected the scene from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in which Ron and the twins kidnapped Harry and brought him to their house for the rest of the summer. Wilson read it, remembering some discussions with House about why the older man thought David liked this particular part of Harry Potter. He recalled that David used to want to hear this chapter often, and House had theorized that it was because this was a turning point in Harry's life – the time during which his life went from chaos and dysfunction to safety and security with the Weasleys. Wilson was sad, because he knew there was some connection to whatever David was feeling right now and his desire to hear this part again. He hadn't asked for it in over a year.

David let his eyes close, even though he knew he was nowhere near falling asleep. When Wilson neared the end of the chapter, he slowed his breathing, pretending to be fast asleep. Wilson kissed him on the forehead and replaced the book on the shelf. "You're a great kid, David. House and I love you," he whispered, then left, closing the door behind him. It was all David could do not to burst into tears. Somehow in the turmoil of Wilson moving out, House had forgotten all about bedtime stories; especially about that part. David really needed to hear it just about now.

David waited until he heard the front door close, and House go to his own room. Then he climbed back out of bed and turned on his laptop. As he was waiting for it to boot up, he thought back to Wilson's talk with him tonight. He knew Wilson was very suspicious about how he and House had been living, and he was so glad that Wilson was trying to help without getting House in trouble. He chatted for hours, and when he finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, his sleep was more peaceful than it had been in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

The next day a delivery of groceries arrived for David and House, and it included with macaroni and cheese, spaghetti sauce, and several frozen dinners that could easily be heated up in the microwave. David wasn't sure whether House had suddenly remembered or Wilson had placed the order, but he guessed it didn't matter. He put everything away and went to watch ESPN with his daddy.

House had indeed stopped by Wilson's office that day, so Wilson guessed that House had heard him after all. The two had not said much; mostly just sitting and staring at the floor, making awkward attempts at conversation. But when House got up to leave and Wilson asked, "Can we talk again soon?" House had nodded. House left to go back to his own office, and Wilson blew out a huge sigh of relief.

On Saturday, Wilson showed up as promised, and took David to the library. Although his sleep schedule had changed so much recently that this new Wilson time was actually interfering with his sleeping time, David pushed through the fatigue and stayed awake. He didn't want to miss one minute with Wilson. David eagerly signed up for the summer reading program and checked out an armload of books. Wilson had also found Sammy's camp address, and brought David a stack of postcards and stamps. They filled one out and mailed it off in the mailbox right outside the library.

David had worn his swim trunks as his shorts, so they went straight to the pool. Wilson lounged around on one of the pool chairs, skimming through the novel he had checked out an hour before. David splashed around in the pool, and when a girl about his age accidentally hit him in the head with a beach ball, he threw it back, accepting her apology graciously. She asked him if he wanted to play, too, and before he knew it, he was involved in a game of quasi-aquatic-volleyball. He only realized how long he had been in the pool when the lifeguard called "time out!" and everyone vacated.

Wilson called him over, and let David look at his watch. "Honey, it's almost five o'clock. House is going to wonder where we are. We'd better get going soon."

"Okay, Wilson," David answered, waving goodbye to his new friends and taking off for the outdoor shower head. He rinsed himself off, noting that he had the beginnings of a sunburn. He should have listened to Wilson when he suggested sunblock on his shoulders and back, not just his arms. Oh well, he would remember next time.

He ran back to Wilson, who had packed up everything except David's towel. Hugging the towel around his shoulders, David talked excitedly for the first time in weeks.

"Did you see me in the pool, Wilson? I was playing with all those other kids. Emily – that girl – even asked me if I wanted to serve the ball. She was really nice."

Wilson had, in fact, seen, as he had been happily watching the whole time. But he just said, "I'm glad you had a good time."

"Wilson?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can we come back again? Like maybe next Saturday? Or whenever," David quickly added, not wanting to be a burden. "Any time is fine."

Wilson tousled David's wet hair. "Sure, I'll check my schedule, but I think we can safely say next Saturday is a go."

David grinned and ran off to the car, leaving Wilson to trudge along behind him with all of their things.

* * *

Wilson adopted a schedule of checking up on David, taking him for outings, and trying to make some headway with House. Their conversations were mostly brief and inconsequential, except for the one time Wilson tried to bring up moving back in. House had blown his top, leaving Wilson speechless.

"Do you even realize what you did to me, Wilson? Do you think that I don't have any feelings at all?" he had screamed, and Wilson was sure that anybody in the hall could hear them arguing.

"Of course you have feelings, and I know I –"

"You don't know anything!" House interrupted. "This is why I avoided relationships for years. For _years_. I knew that at some point, they would come to an end. Because for some reason, no matter what I do, it always seems that I'm not good enough. I hoped that would never happen with you, but I guess I was right all along." With that, House leveled Wilson with just a look. His deep blue eyes were misting, and Wilson wanted more than anything to deny it; tell House it just wasn't true. But nothing he could say would change the fact that he _had_ left House for someone else; however briefly. Wilson spent the next three agonizing minutes staring at his hands, until House got up and walked out. They didn't speak again in the next days.

* * *

David watched House on the drive home from work, knowing something was very wrong. House was more than just spaced out or distracted; he actually looked as if he wanted to hurt something or someone. David resolved to stay completely out of House's way as soon as they got out of the car.

House parked in their driveway, and the two silently made their way inside. David knew they had leftover spaghetti in the refrigerator – he had started making extra at every meal so that the next day, they could just heat up the leftovers. Since all he would have to do tonight was pop the Tupperware container into the microwave, David beat a hasty retreat to his room, leaving House to his own devices. He logged on to his chat room for an hour or so, then thought that it would be a good time for dinner. He wandered into the living room to see if House was hungry yet...

...and instantly froze. In House's hand was a short glass with a light brown liquid in it, and next to the glass was an almost empty bourbon bottle. House had been drinking. Heavily.

David knew that House had been known to have "a drink or two on non-occasions," as Wilson put it, before he came to live with him, but David couldn't remember House ever drinking more than a beer or two in the entire time they had lived together. David's own mother had been more into cocaine, but she had also had a few drinks now and then, and brought her share of drunk friends by the house. David hadn't liked the way any of them had acted. Before he could decide what to do about House, he was spotted.

"Daaaaavid," House slurred. "C'mere."

David wasn't sure whether to obey, but this was House, whom he trusted. He walked closer. Without warning, House's hand shot out and grabbed David by the arm. He gasped in surprise.

"Wilson's lef' me all by m'self...you won' leave me, will you boy?"

David had no idea what to say to House, because he had very little idea of what House was even talking about. House's hand jerked David closer to him, throwing David's balance off. David was becoming terrified.

"Will you?" House shouted. David flinched, but shook his head.

"I won't leave you, House."

"'kay." House dropped David's arm as quickly as he had grabbed it, and his eyes fluttered closed. David took off running without even stopping to think first. He slammed the door to his room and locked it, leaning against it, panting.

He had truly come to trust that he would never in his life have to deal with this kind of situation again. Now that he had settled into a comfortable life, some of his coping skills were rusty. He had no idea what to do next, or if House was okay. He could have just been sleeping, but there was also the possibility that he had passed out. He was afraid to leave his room to check.

Breathing deeply, David made a split-second decision. He fished around in his backpack for his Go-Phone, something he had almost never used. Flipping it open, he scrolled through the numbers until he found the one he needed. He dialed, some part of him deep down noticing that his hands were shaking, and sat down on the floor in the corner of his room, his eyes on the door. Finally, after what seemed like a hundred rings, the phone was answered.

"Hello?" The voice sounded confused, as if he didn't know who was calling.

"Wilson?" David managed to get out before he burst into tears. Sobbing, he made his request. "Can you come over here quick? I need you."


	5. Chapter 5

David looked around his room, then back at Wilson. He was trying to pack whatever clothes he might need, because he wasn't sure when he would be coming back.

"Just take whatever you see, and we'll just buy you new clothes if you miss anything," Wilson advised softly. David would be needing new clothes for the fall anyway – he was starting to outgrow things again.

David carefully folded a pair of shorts and laid it into his duffel bag, still looking sadly around.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked.

Wilson sighed. When he had arrived, House had been totally passed out on the living room couch. Wilson had managed to wake him up by shaking his shoulders, but that only lasted long enough for Wilson to inform him that he was taking David with him, like it or not. House would need to dry out before they could even talk. But he didn't want David to worry.

"He's going to be fine, sweetheart."

"Is he an alcoholic?" David asked sadly.

Wilson was shocked. Where did David even learn this stuff? "Sometimes people can just have too much to drink once in a while. It doesn't make them alcoholics." _And sometimes alcoholics can go for years without touching a drink. It doesn't make them non-alcoholics_, he thought to himself. He didn't share that thought with David.

David didn't appear to take much comfort in Wilson's explanation either, but dutifully finished packing his bag. It was clear he was holding something back, and Wilson waited patiently for the dam to burst.

"I'm sorry for calling, Wilson," David blurted out as he fiddled with his bag's zipper. "I didn't know what else to do."

So that was it. David was worried that he'd messed up somehow; that he should have been able to fix the situation going on with House all by himself.

Wilson took the bag from David and set it aside. He gently laid his hands on David's shoulders. "David, listen to me. You did exactly what you should have done. There's no reason at all to be sorry."

David looked down, shifting out of Wilson's grasp. He didn't want to be touched right now. "I said I wouldn't leave him, but now I _am_ leaving him, and I got Daddy in trouble."

Wilson shook his head. "He's not in trouble, baby. He just needs some help. He's going through a rough time in his life right now, and he can't take care of you while he does. He wants to, but he just doesn't have it in him. So I'm going to take you with me so we can make sure you're okay while House gets some help to get _him_ okay. Okay?"

David nodded, barely moving his head as he did.

Wilson zipped the bag up, then slung it over his shoulder. David stuffed his laptop into his backpack, and the two left the house.

"We'll talk to House tomorrow at work about what to do next," Wilson assured David. They went to Wilson's hotel room, which fortunately had two beds. David tossed and turned, trying to sleep in the huge queen-sized bed. He hadn't slept at night all summer, so there wasn't much chance of it happening tonight. With Wilson in the next bed over, he couldn't very well pull out his laptop without attracting his attention. So he lay quietly and stared at the ceiling, counting the seconds until morning.

* * *

House was late for work the next morning, and Wilson patiently waited in the lobby for him to get there. When he did, it was clear that House was hung over and had barely managed any kind of personal hygiene. Even Cuddy gave Wilson a questioning look as House walked into the lobby, hair going in ten different directions. Wilson grabbed House and pulled him into a vacant exam room, shutting the door behind him.

"I took David home with me last night," he told House, in case House had been so out of it that he hadn't remembered.

From the way House's shoulders drooped with relief, Wilson guessed that House actually hadn't known that. He wondered if House had looked for David, or was his plan just to come to work like nothing was wrong? He pushed his anger down so that he could talk with House calmly.

"House...you were drunk last night. You were so drunk that you scared David out of his mind. He called me to come get him."

At this House looked at Wilson, his eyes showing the pain that this statement was causing. He would never in a million years do anything to scare David, and yet he had apparently already scared David so much that he actually needed to be rescued.

He didn't want to know the details; wasn't sure he could face himself if he did. But he had to. He had to know what he was dealing with, if he had any hope of fixing it. "What did I do?" he asked, so quietly that Wilson almost didn't hear him.

Wilson sighed. "Apparently you grabbed him and started going on about how I left you. You were asking him not to leave you, too."

House said nothing, absorbing the information. Wilson wasn't through, though.

"House...you can't go on like this. I've let a lot of things slide over the past month. The fact that you weren't feeding him...or even buying groceries. The fact that he hasn't been sleeping and you apparently never noticed at all. I get the feeling he's been babysitting you. But I can't just leave him with you when you're this unstable. You almost attacked him last night. And you drank so much that you don't even remember it at all."

House couldn't even come up with a rebuttal. Wilson was right.

"Listen...I know I hurt you with what I did. But I've apologized to you, and I _am_ sorry. I've made some changes in my life to try and fix things. Now you've hurt David, and you need to get yourself together before anything else happens. Please, House. We're both worried about you." Wilson grabbed House's hand and gently kissed it, before leaving the room.

House sat alone in the exam room for the better part of an hour, digesting. He could never forgive himself if he hurt David the way his own father had hurt him. From the deepest part of his soul he knew he had to protect David from any more of that, even if it meant protecting David from himself. David was much better off with Wilson for the time being; perhaps forever. House was not all that confident in his ability to "get it together." But he had to do _something_.

* * *

House showed up at the therapist's office, looking around nervously. Wilson had called Elaine Wardner to make an emergency appointment for all three of them. House had not had a drop to drink since Wilson had taken David away, and he had spent the past few days cleaning the house and catching up on all of the chores that had been completely neglected. When House found a baggie of used dryer sheets on top of the washer, he almost lost it. Apparently they had run out and David had been conserving by saving the used ones and re-using them. He had never spoken up to House about the need to go shopping, for dryer sheets or anything else. Somewhere in the back of his mind, House had noticed that groceries he had never ordered had started magically appearing, but he had been too distracted to wonder for too long where they had come from. What had David been going through alone all those weeks?

House went through and poured all of his bourbon down the kitchen sink, then sorted through his clothes and tossed out everything that David had accidentally turned pink. He almost chuckled at the thought of nine-year-old David doing a better job at keeping house than he ever had. Except for turning everything pink.

At some point in his cleaning frenzy, House had even returned David's library books. He had left them on the living room coffee table, and neither Wilson nor David had wanted to go back into the lion's den to get them. Wilson thought that if need be, they could just report them as lost and pay the fines. It was worth it to avoid a self-destructing House.

Now House fiddled with his cane as he sat down in the waiting room. He was no longer self-destructing, but it had taken an extreme situation to snap him out of it. He just hoped he could convince Wilson to let David come back. Hell, he hoped he could convince _David_ that it was safe to come home. He knew David had danced this dance before, and that was what broke his heart.

Wilson and David arrived, looking just as nervous. This would be the first time all three were together to talk as a family since they had told David that Wilson was moving out. The receptionist called them in, and the three walked over to the open door down the hall to talk to Dr. Elaine.

"Hi, guys!" she welcomed brightly. "Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Dr. Wilson, why don't you go ahead and tell us why you scheduled this appointment."

Wilson found a place on the grown-up couch and fidgeted nervously. "You can call me James. I, uh...we've had something of a family crisis in the last month. And we're...I think we need a lot of help to get things back to normal."

Dr. Elaine nodded, and waited for House and David to get settled. She noticed that David chose a spot on the floor away from both adults, and also away from any toys. His spot gave him a good view of both House and Wilson, as if he was expecting one of them to do something and wanted to make sure he saw it coming first. Interesting.

Dr. Elaine pushed on. "Why don't we start with you, James. You can tell me what's been going on in the last month, then I'd like to hear from Dr. House and David. Then I'd like to see each of you individually, if possible. At that point we'll talk about what sort of schedule I think would be best for continued therapy.

At "continued therapy," Wilson's eyes slid over to House. He expected House to vehemently deny the need for therapy, shout that he would never go, and generally raise a ruckus. He did none of those things, instead just looking down at his feet. Wilson took a deep breath, and tried to figure out where to start.

"Okay, well...at the beginning of the summer, I...uh..." He looked at David. He was going to have to skirt the issue until he could talk to Dr. Wardner privately. "House and I had a fight, and I ended up moving out."

Dr. Elaine nodded, indicating that he should go on.

"Ever since then...well, I know that this...situation has been very hard on David and House. And I think House wasn't really functioning the best that he could have." He wasn't sure how much he should go into. He didn't want to incriminate House in any way, he just wanted to get him some help.

"In what way do you mean, James?"

Wilson sighed. She was not going to make this easy on him. He launched into the full story, trying to keep details to a minimum. When he was done, Dr. Elaine looked at House and David, asking if they had anything they wanted to add. They both shook their heads. She asked them to leave the room for a few minutes while she spoke to Wilson alone.

David followed House back out to the waiting room. They both took a seat, but neither reached for one of the magazines or toys that were strewn about the room. David sat quietly on the chair, swinging his legs. He watched House for any kind of sign that would tell him what the man was feeling. He was sure House was furious at him for turning him in, and he felt horrible.

House sat in his chair and watched David out of the corner of his eye. He felt horrible about what had happened. Poor David probably felt like his world was crumbling underneath him. He was too ashamed to meet David's eye, but he hoped that with enough work with Dr. Wardner, David might be able to work toward forgiveness. But House would completely understand if he never could forgive him. He wished things could go back to the idyllic life they had maintained for so many months – but that was completely destroyed now. He just hoped it wouldn't damage David too much in the long run. Thank goodness for Wilson; good, old, dependable Wilson. Even if he had hurt House, he would be able to provide a good life for David, and that's what David deserved.

His thoughts were interrupted by Dr. Wardner calling House in. Wilson shook her hand and thanked her, then walked over to take the seat right next to David. House stood up and walked over to Dr. Wardner's office, feeling as if he was going to his own execution.

"Have a seat, Dr. House," said Dr. Wardner, smiling. House figured she had to smile even if she hated his guts; it must be something they taught you in therapy school.

"I know this must be completely overwhelming for you right now. James told me about his affair just now. When he first told you, how did that make you feel?"

House's eyes snapped up to hers. So she wasn't going to start by accusing him of being a horrible person; she was going to lead into that gently. He appreciated the small gesture, and figured he might as well play along, at least until she told him he was a scumbag.

"I felt...betrayed." That was a scrawny word to describe the massive range of emotions he had gone through in the past month, but he couldn't figure out how to say how he really felt. Dr. Wardner looked at him and nodded.

"What else?" she asked gently.

_Like I'm not good enough for anybody, no matter how hard I try_, he thought glumly. What he said was,

"Look, can we just move past this part to where you tell me I'm a schmuck, I agree, and then we talk about what is going to happen to David from this point?"

Dr. Wardner just stared at House. Clearly they were having some sort of communication difficulty. "I don't think you're a schmuck, Dr. House. Not at all. And what's going to happen to David depends an awful lot on what's going to happen to you, and to Wilson."

"Meaning?"

"Well, you two are going to have to decide whether this is something you can overcome in your relationship or if it's a breaking point. Obviously if you decide to split for good, you'll need to agree on some sort of custody arrangement."

"Custody – you mean I can see him?"

Dr. Wardner made no effort to hide her confusion. "See him? Doesn't he live with you?"

"You don't...you don't think he should stay with Wilson?" House felt hope for the first time in days.

Dr. Wardner spoke calmly. "What has happened – or not happened, as the case may be – in the past few weeks is certainly not the best parenting technique, but I think David will get over it. The situation could have been far, far worse."

House was silent for a moment, his fleeting relief changing back to despair. "He's _been through_ far, far worse. And I was...heading down that road."

"No. Nothing happened. David didn't starve. You didn't hurt him. Kids are resilient. He's been through so much and come out fairly healthy on the other end. This one period of his life is nothing compared to the years he spent with his mother. He's fine, Dr. House, just probably worried about you. And to be frank, so am I."

"I grabbed him," House said through gritted teeth. "I _did_ hurt him."

"You scared him. There's a difference. And you allowed your partner to take control of the situation, then followed his advice to come to therapy. You're doing everything right. You need to relax."

House couldn't relax any more than he could flap his arms and fly to the moon. "He deserves better. I couldn't...control myself. I went into a funk and didn't see what he was going through. I didn't care. You have no idea what I've put him through. Hell, _I_ have no idea. He needs a stable home. Someone who does care."

"I find it very hard to believe that you don't care, Dr. House. What I think is more likely is that you went through a rough patch, the first real one in your relationship with James, and reverted back to behaviors that have gotten you through previous rough spots in your life. The only difference this time is that you had another life to consider, and you were ill-equipped to do that."

House shook his head. "He can't come back to live with me. I'm still _in_ a rough patch. I'll hurt him. I'll..." He choked up a bit and stopped talking.

"You'll what? Just what exactly is it that you think you'll do to him?"

House couldn't answer; not because he didn't know, but because he _did_ know. He was afraid of becoming his father, and David's mother. Putting that into words was too hard. He swallowed, hoping to push back the feelings that were overwhelming him.

Dr. Wardner spoke carefully. "Dr. House, I think it was a mistake to speak with you before I speak with David. What I'd like to do right now is talk to David for a bit, then get you and James in here together to make sure we're all on the same page. I think you may be surprised as to what his feelings are in this matter. Is that okay with you?"

House nodded, glad he wasn't being asked to share any more feelings. He didn't think he could. He got up and slowly walked out of the office, trying to remain composed. Dr. Wardner followed him into the waiting room to get David, and House took David's vacated chair next to Wilson. He didn't say anything, just kept his eyes trained on David as he walked away with Dr. Wardner.


	6. Chapter 6

"So David, it's been a few weeks since you last came in. I guess a lot has happened this summer, huh?"

David shrugged and sat down on a beanbag chair. He wanted to know what was going to happen now, and didn't really feel like talking much about his summer. As with his early life, his top priority right now was food and shelter, and everything else, like thinking about his feelings, came in a distant second if those needs were not met.

"I have to tell you that I've heard some impressive things about you today, David." Dr. Elaine wasn't prone to empty flattery – she really was impressed at how maturely David had handled the House/Wilson situation.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his curiosity peaking a little.

"Well, I heard that you learned how to cook, for one."

David shook his head. "Just easy stuff, like spaghetti."

"For a nine year old with no help, that's a huge undertaking. And I heard you did the laundry, and kept your daddy on a schedule so he'd get to work on time every day."

David fidgeted. Somehow the secrets he had been keeping about what was going on at home were all out. He had tried his best, but now they were going to take him away from House. He wondered if they would let him stay with Wilson – after all, his name was on the adoption paperwork too, right? Or did that become void when your adoptive parents split up? He had to know.

"What's going to happen to me now?" he asked quietly.

Dr. Wardner almost laughed at the similarity between David and Dr. House. But she knew better than to express how humorous she found the situation, because David would think she was laughing at him.

"What do you want to happen now?" she asked instead.

David picked at a thread on the beanbag chair. He didn't know if he should say it, because he was sure he would not be allowed to do what he really wanted. But Dr. Elaine was trustworthy, and if there was anyone with whom he was comfortable sharing his true feelings, it was her.

"Can I go back home? With daddy?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"That's what you want? You don't want to stay with Wilson?"

"I want Wilson to come back home, too. I want us to be a family again...like we used to be."

Dr. Wardner nodded. "Okay. I think we can work this out, sweetie. But what I want to do first is talk to your daddy and Wilson. Do you think you'll be okay in the waiting room by yourself a few minutes?"

David was stuck on the previous part of the conversation. "I can really go back home with daddy?"

Dr. Wardner was noncommittal, just in case something still went wrong. "I'm going to talk with Dr. House and Dr. Wilson about that right now, okay? Just hold on, and we can find out what we need to do to get you back home. Okay?"

David sprung up from his beanbag chair. "Okay! I'll go get them!" He sprinted back out into the waiting room. Dr. Wardner lagged behind, stopping to ask her receptionist if she wouldn't mind keeping an eye on David for a few minutes.

When House and Wilson settled into her office, she jumped right in.

"Gentlemen, I think I have a fairly clear picture of what's going on. So the important thing to decide today is, what course do each of you want to pursue?"

Both men were silent. Dr. Wardner decided to start with the easy one first.

"James, you've moved out. Is this a permanent move, or would you like to move back in with Dr. House if possible?"

Wilson avoided House's stare. "I'd like to come home." He felt House stiffen next to him. "But I don't think I can."

Dr. Wardner turned to House. "Dr. House, what would it take for you to allow James to move back in?"

House said nothing at first. It really wasn't about who lived where at all. Wilson could have moved back in weeks ago, and he probably wouldn't have even noticed. After all, he hadn't noticed anything that David was doing. He tried to explain himself.

"I don't care if he moves back in. The question is, can we go back to the relationship we had? I don't know. I don't...trust him anymore."

"So if we worked on building that trust back up, you might take him back. You're not seeing someone else?"

House wanted to laugh. Someone else? There would never be anyone else. It had always been Wilson. But for Wilson, it hadn't always been House – and that was the crux of the problem.

"No, there's nobody else," House managed to get out.

"Okay. We'll schedule some time just for the two of you, and see if we can make any headway. And it will _take time_," Dr. Wardner emphasized, looking directly at Wilson. He nodded.

"Next order of business is David. Dr. House, you understand why James took him home with him, correct?"

"Yes," House whispered.

"Since then, are there any changes you've made that might be beneficial to a child living under your care? Changes that you'd like to share with James?"

House tapped his cane a few times before looking directly into Wilson's eyes. "I went grocery shopping. I did the laundry. I cleaned the place up. I'm getting it together. Really."

Wilson nodded again. "I know. And I didn't take David to punish you. You know that, right?"

House struggled for words. "Thank you," was all he could manage. Dr. Wardner cut in.

"So James, at this point, would you feel comfortable letting David go home with Dr. House?"

Wilson hesitated. "As long as David's okay with it."

Dr. Wardner nodded. "He had already expressed his interest to me in returning to Dr. House's care."

At this, House looked up in surprise, his eyes brightening. Dr. Wardner addressed him again.

"Let me give you some free advice, Dr. House. At this point what David needs to know is that you're going to be able to provide him with a safe home. I think the past few weeks have shown that he's not a delicate flower – he rose to the challenge and took care of _both_ of you for quite a while. But he shouldn't have to, and that's what we all need to emphasize to him. Also – don't try to buy his love by doing anything crazy or extravagant. Just try to get back to a normal life routine. Well, as normal as possible within the new family dynamics. I'd like to see you twice a week, at least for the immediate future. So I'll see all three of you on Thursday, and we'll break up the session just like we did today – each of you alone, you two alone, and all three of you. James, do you want to get David back in here?"

Wilson rose and went to grab David from the waiting room. House took advantage of the opportunity to talk to Dr. Wardner privately one last time.

"Did he really say he wanted to come back with me?" House needed reassurance that their therapist wasn't for some reason just putting on a show for Wilson.

"Yes, Dr. House. Very clearly."

"He's not scared?"

Dr. Wardner weighed her words. "He's...scared _for_ you, not _of_ you. Just give it some time, and I think this rough patch will smooth over. Okay?"

House nodded, extremely relieved. David walked in, tentatively looking at House. House hadn't said two words to David the entire time they had been at Dr. Elaine's office, and David was sure House was very mad at him. He lowered his head and began to walk past House. Maybe next session House would be less mad and want to talk to him again. But he didn't want to get his hopes up. Lost in his thoughts, David didn't notice House reaching out his strong hands for him. He found himself lifted into the air and placed onto House's good leg. He looked up at House's face in complete surprise.

"Missed you," House whispered, keeping a firm grasp on David's waist so he wouldn't fall off.

A few tears of relief slipped down David's face as he relaxed into House's grip.

"You're going home with Dr. House today, David. How does that make you feel?" asked Dr. Elaine.

"Good," David whispered.

"We're going to be meeting like we did today twice a week, David. So I'll see you on Thursday, but is there anything you want to ask or say right now, before you leave today?"

David thought for a moment. He wanted to ask about Wilson, but he knew that if Wilson wasn't coming home, the question would just upset his Daddy. He came up with a compromise.

"When can I see Wilson again?"

House and Wilson looked at each other.

"I can pick him up Saturday," Wilson offered. "That seemed to work for a while."

House nodded. "Okay. Sounds like a plan. Guess we'll see you at therapy before that, anyway."

Wilson nodded, then gestured at David. House knew what he was asking. He handed David up to Wilson, and Wilson held him up by locking his arms together under David's legs so that they formed a kind of cradle for him to sit on.

"Oof, you're getting heavy!" he half-joked.

Then his tone suddenly became serious. "David...I love you, buddy. Call me if you need anything," he said, glancing at House as the words left his mouth.

House looked away from Wilson and down at his own lap. He slowly rose, and waited for Wilson to put David down. The younger man reluctantly did, and David turned to look back up at Wilson.

"Love you too, Wilson. I'll see you soon." Then he turned his attention to House. He looked at House and grabbed for House's left hand, squeezing tightly. The two walked out of Dr. Wardner's office hand in hand, both nervously thinking of home.

* * *

House unlocked the door, and he and David both headed for the couch. They were both exhausted. Without thinking, House flipped the t.v. on. David seemed to enjoy the opportunity to cuddle with House, although he wasn't paying attention to the t.v. at all. House found that he wasn't watching, either. Was this a good idea? House had spent the last month vacantly staring at the t.v. Should they be talking things over right now instead of pretending to watch t.v.? House couldn't stand to just sit here right now.

"What do you want for dinner?" he asked David when a commercial came on. David shrugged.

"How about hot dogs? I just bought some."

"Okay," David said softly. House got up and walked into the kitchen. David watched him go, fighting off the urge to follow him. He didn't really want to let House out of his sight. Compromising, he shut off the t.v. and listened to the sounds of House making dinner.

When it was ready, House called out to David, "Come eat!" David jumped up and all but ran to the kitchen.

The two ate their hot dogs in silence, sneaking furtive glances at each other. House rinsed off the dishes, and David helped by loading the dishwasher. Now that he knew how to do so many things, David was happy to help. House was impressed.

Finally, it was time for bed. House wandered awkwardly into David's room and waited for him to finish brushing his teeth. It had been a while since House had read David a bedtime story, but Dr. Wardner had told him to go back to a normal routine.

David came back out from the bathroom and climbed into bed. House cleared his throat.

"What do you want to hear tonight?"

David picked at a piece of lint on his sheet. "Can we...instead of a story, can we talk?"

House climbed into bed with David. "Of course. What do you want to talk about?"

David hesitated for a minute, then blurted out all at once, "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I told on you."

House was shocked. Had David been carrying some sort of misplaced guilt about his role in their family situation?

"David...you did exactly the right thing."

"But I got you in trouble with Wilson and Dr. Wardner. And you had to do all that stuff just so I could come back here."

"All that stuff...like going to the grocery store?"

David nodded. House wanted to nip this one in the bud.

"David, I'm supposed to go to the grocery store. I'm supposed to do laundry. All the stuff I've done in the past week is stuff I should have been doing anyway. I was just catching up. It had nothing to do with you."

David was silent as he processed. House let David think for a moment, but then pushed on.

"David...if something is wrong, you _should_ say something. Did your mom ever make you keep a secret? About what she was doing?"

David nodded. His mother had threatened horrible consequences if he ever told anybody about the things she did.

"And how did that make you feel? Did it feel like keeping those secrets was a good thing?"

Now David shook his head. "It made me feel really bad. Like there was something wrong with me that wasn't wrong with anybody else. Like the things she was doing were really my fault, and that's why nobody could find out."

"You felt ashamed."

_Yes!_ That was the feeling that David couldn't name. "Yeah."

"You felt ashamed because some part of you knew things were really wrong, but you weren't supposed to tell. That's how you know something is broken. If somebody makes you keep a secret about something that you know deep down is wrong. You should never have to keep secrets for adults. Not even me. Not even Wilson. Understand?"

David nodded. "But I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I know, babe, but you don't need to protect me. I have to take responsibility for my own actions and decisions. You should not have to feel ashamed of anything going on here at home. So if anything seems wrong, and talking to me or Wilson doesn't help, you _should_ tell someone else. Someone you trust."

"Like Dr. Elaine?"

House nodded. "Yes, or a teacher, or even the police if you have to. Okay?"

"Okay," David whispered. He felt hugely relieved. "Daddy...did you ever have to keep a secret like that when you were growing up?"

House closed his eyes. "Yeah, David. I'm still keeping some of them. There are some things I've only ever told one or two people. Some things I've never told anybody. In fact, you might know more than Wilson does."

"But why? I thought you said it was bad for you to keep secrets? Why don't you tell somebody and stop being ashamed?"

House carefully and slowly answered. "It's something I need to work on, David. Just like there are things that happened to you that you still haven't told me about...it's just taking me some time to get everything out there. Maybe I'll work on it with Dr. Wardner."

"She helps me a lot. I know she can help you, too."

House felt himself becoming overrun with emotion, and had to mentally step back. But before he shut down completely, he had a brief moment of pure honesty. "I missed you so much, kiddo. But I was really messed up. I wish you hadn't seen me like that."

"I'm glad you're okay now." David snuggled into House and closed his eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

Thursday came quickly, and the three found themselves back at Dr. Wardner's office. David told her about the time he had been spending with House, and then went back out to the waiting room to let House and Wilson have their sessions. He flipped through the waiting room magazines and vowed to bring a book next time. Now he had nothing to do but sit and wonder what was going on inside that office.

Finally, he was called back in. He took a seat right next to House and grabbed the doctor's large hand. All three adults noticed that David was being abnormally clingy.

Dr. Wardner cleared her throat and began. "So, David's told me that things are going a lot better at home. I'm sure that will be a relief to you, Dr. Wilson."

Wilson nodded.

"And Wilson has told me that he's going to be hanging out with you this weekend, David. What are your plans?"

"We're going to the library," David answered excitedly. Dr. Wardner laughed.

"Sounds like a fun plan. Is there anything special going on at the library?"

"No, just the summer reading program. If I read twelve more books, I can get a free pass to Six Flags."

Dr. Wardner's eyes twinkled in amusement. She reckoned that did not include a free pass for an adult, or gas to get all the way to Lakewood. But the fact that David _wasn't_ thinking about those things was a good sign.

"So how do they know how many books you've read?"

"Wilson signs off on my sheet. I've read eight since I started," David told her proudly.

"That's great! Can House sign off for you, or is it just Wilson?"

"House could do it too, but..." David suddenly trailed off.

"But what?"

David shook his head. "Never mind. Nothing."

House and Wilson exchanged a quick look. They were both fully aware that it wasn't nothing. Dr. Wardner changed her tactic.

"So who will be taking you to Six Flags when you win?"

David shrugged. "Wilson, I guess." He wanted the answer to be both House and Wilson, but he knew that wasn't possible right now.

"House can't come?" It was as if Dr. Wardner had read his mind.

"He can come, but..." Again, he trailed off. This time House broke in.

"I'd like to go, David. But only if you want me to come," he added tentatively.

David looked up at House in shock. "Of course I want you to come!"

"Then why won't you ask me?"

David looked down and mumbled something.

"What was that, David?" asked Dr. Wardner.

"I didn't want to bother you," he told House, still looking down.

House looked at Dr. Wardner as if seeking some sort of answer. She just nodded at him, as if to say, _go ahead, let's see what you've got_.

"David," House began, "you're not bothering me. I love spending time with you. I want to look at your library sheet. I think it would be really cool if we could ride the Superman coaster together."

David was quiet for a minute. Finally, he softly told House, "Okay."

Dr. Wardner broke in. "David, I'm sure Dr. House doesn't want you to feel like you're a nuisance or that he doesn't have time for you. What can we do to make sure Dr. House can spend enough time with you when you need him?"

David thought about what he really wanted to say. "The problem isn't time. He has enough time," he whispered. "The problem is that sometimes he gets really sad, and doesn't want to do anything. With anybody. I tried everything I could think of to make him feel better, but nothing worked."

House wanted to die. Here David was diagnosing him with depression, when he himself had not even realized David was suicidal just over a year ago. How could he have put so much responsibility on David's shoulders? And how could he reclaim that responsibility?

"David," House said, squeezing the nine year old's hand. "You don't have to make me feel better. That's not your job. And besides, just by being you, you make me happy most days."

"Not this summer," David protested.

"No, not this summer," House agreed. "But I was really hurting this summer. There was no way you could have brought me out of it."

"Because of what Wilson did?"

Looking at Wilson, House nodded. "Yes. He hurt my feelings, and I was sad about it for a long time."

David considered House's words. "What did Wilson do?"

House hesitated. "It was a grown-up thing, babe."

"So you're not going to tell me?" David looked at Wilson. "What did you do, Wilson?"

"Sweetie, like House said, it was a grown-up thing."

David wasn't buying it. "How can I keep myself from doing the same thing if I don't know what it was? What if I make House sad, too?"

Appalled, House answered, "You won't. Trust me."

"But how do you _know_?"

House sighed. Looking at Wilson for a sign, the two reached a silent agreement. House launched into the PG-rated version. Dr. Wardner listened politely, curious to see how House was going to explain this.

"Okay. You know Wilson and I love each other, right?"

David hadn't been so sure recently, but he nodded. House continued.

"Well, we sort of promised each other that we would only love each other – and you. That we wouldn't love other people. And Wilson...found somebody else to love for a while. And that was very hurtful to me. Does that make sense?"

David pondered. "I think so. It would be kind of like if Sammy had a different best friend for a while and didn't like me anymore?"

"Yes, sort of like that. So that's what happened." House was glad he had gotten away with the kid-friendly version. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yeah...why did Wilson want somebody else? Why wouldn't he love you the best?"

House choked up for a second. Wilson took over. "I don't know, sweetie. It was a mistake. I just didn't realize what I had with your daddy."

"Do you miss him now?"

Wilson nodded fiercely. "Very much."

"He misses you, too. Right, Daddy?"

House didn't want to be dragged into this conversation, but because it was David asking, couldn't help nodding slightly.

"Are you done loving the other person, Wilson?"

"Yes, it's been over for a long time now."

"Then I think you should come back home."

Now it was Dr. Wardner's turn to take over. "That's not your decision, David. That is something that Dr. House and Dr. Wilson will need to discuss between the two of them, on their own. But we all value your opinion. Right, gentlemen?"

House and Wilson both nodded their assent.

"Do you have any other questions, David?"

"No, not really. I think Daddy explained it pretty well about loving someone else. I guess I didn't understand what had happened – I thought Wilson had met someone and had sex!"

Wilson turned bright red and looked away from David, hoping he hadn't noticed. Dr. Wardner had a slight coughing fit, and she could have sworn she saw a twinkle in House's eye.

* * *

The next day was Friday, and House decided to play hooky. He called in to work, then went right back to bed. He didn't even bother to wake David up. House figured David, who was still getting hardly any sleep at all, could use the extra time. Around ten, House got out of bed himself and brewed coffee, the thought about breakfast. If Wilson had been around, he would have made pancakes. That was never House's style.

He got out milk and cereal, all the while thinking that this is what David had been doing for weeks. Before he could let himself feel bad, he got online to check some details, then couldn't wait any longer to wake David up. David shuffled into the kitchen and tried to wolf down his cereal. House just watched.

After a while, David noticed that House was watching him, and became slightly nervous. He put down his spoon.

"How would you like to go see Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix today?" House asked. David's eyes lit up.

"Could we?"

"Sure, I took the day off of work."

"Cool! When can we go?"

House shrugged. "There's a matinee showing at noon, if you think you'll be ready in time."

David jumped out of his chair and ran to the bathroom. House grinned as he heard the shower turn on not one minute later. Soon David was ready, and the two piled into House's car. House took a route that David was unfamiliar with.

"Daddy...where are we going? I thought we were going to the movies?"

"We are," House reassured him. "But I thought it would be neat to see this one on an IMAX screen."

David's eyes got wide. He had heard of IMAX, but had never actually been to one. By all accounts, movies on IMAX were totally cool. House found a parking space, and the two went inside to buy their tickets.

The movie was amazing. It was almost like experiencing it in 3-D – the screen was so large that it felt like it surrounded David. At the end of the movie, when Dumbledore explained to Harry his reasons for remaining distant, David felt a pang of emotion. He, too, had just come out from a summer spent being distant from the one he loved and looked up to most. He reached out and grabbed House's hand, just to see what the doctor would do. House squeezed back. David smiled.

The two went to a diner for lunch, then returned home for a lazy afternoon in front of the television. After a while, David became bored with the t.v., but didn't want to leave House. He came up with a compromise. He went to his room, grabbed his laptop, then returned to his place by House's side. The two stayed together on the couch for hours, House watching t.v. and David surfing the net.

* * *

When David awoke the next morning, his first thought was, _Wilson's coming today!_ He scrambled out of bed to get ready in time. On their way to the library, David decided to find out what Wilson really thought about coming home.

"Wilson? How long do you think Daddy's going to stay mad at you?"

Wilson wasn't really sure how to respond. "I don't think he's actually mad anymore, sweetie. I think he's just really hurt right now."

"Have you tried apologizing? Remember when I had that fight with Sammy after I got found in New York? I was pretty stupid, but when I apologized, he said it was okay. Then we were friends again, even though I punched him."

Wilson almost laughed. "Yes, I've already apologized. House knows I'm sorry."

"Then why won't he forgive you?"

"Because...because I did a really bad thing."

"Worse than giving Sammy a black eye?"

"Yes, worse than that. And if I try to rush House, or push him too much to accept my apology, then it's only going to make him feel worse. So I'm giving him as much time as it takes. Understand?"

"Sure," David said uncertainly. But inside he was scheming.

* * *

It started when a bouquet of flowers showed up at the house. David had bought himself a prepaid Visa debit card at the grocery store, then used it to order the flowers online. When they were delivered, House looked at them strangely.

"Where do you suppose these flowers came from, David?"

David shrugged innocently. "Probably Wilson. Why?"

Wilson had never sent House flowers before, so the man had no reason to doubt their origin. But something didn't feel quite right to House.

Later, when David had already gone to sleep and he knew he could talk privately, House called Wilson.

"I got a bouquet of flowers today."

Wilson became somewhat agitated. "Who from? Have you been seeing someone?"

_Ah hah_, thought House. "So they're not from you?"

"No," said Wilson, sounding very confused. "Why would I send you flowers?"

"I have no idea," answered House. He went to bed with his mind racing through the possibilities.

A few days later, when Wilson picked David up, as soon as they were in the car and out of sight from House, David handed Wilson a nicely decorated bag. Wilson took it and opened it. It contained another, smaller plastic bag full of brownies, and a card. He looked at David. David shrugged.

"House says this is for you."

David had figured out how to make brownies from a mix. After his summer, something like making brownies no longer seemed like a monumental task. House had asked him what he was doing, and in order to ward off suspicion, David gave House a brownie. House never seemed to notice that after all that work to make an entire batch of brownies, there was only one left in the end.

David had carefully written the note on the card, then forged House's signature. He used to forge his mother's signature all the time, because he never knew what little thing – a field trip permission form, a note about his hygiene, a teacher's beginning of the year letter – would set her off. He had never tried to forge House's signature before, because he had never had a good reason. But now he had found a reason, and Wilson seemed to be buying it.

This time it was Wilson who called House.

"Thank you for the brownies," he said hesitantly.

House was lost. "Is that...some kind of code?"

"No, the brownies. David brought them today."

House racked his brain. He vaguely recalled David making brownies, and now couldn't remember what they had done with the rest of them. Had those brownies been for Wilson?

"And thank you for the card," Wilson continued. "It was very sweet."

_What card?_ It was time to come clean. "Wilson, I have no earthly idea what we're talking about."

There was a long pause. Then, "You didn't send brownies and a card for me with David?"

"No."

An even longer pause as both Wilson and House realized what was going on. "I feel like such an idiot. Of course you wouldn't be sending me brownies. Not when you hate me."

Now House felt bad. "I don't hate you, Wilson." House thought about what he was saying, and realized it was actually true. "I still love you. I just...can't believe you would hurt me like that."

Wilson began to choke up. "I never meant to hurt you, House." After a pause, he added, "I never meant to hurt David, either."

"What do you mean? I'm the one that hurt David."

"Because of what _I_ did to _you_."

This was the fist time House had thought about the situation from that perspective. He wasn't sure what he felt, but he thought it might be relief. Maybe he wasn't the only one responsible for this fiasco of a summer. As much as he loved David, in some ways having a child was a burden. Maybe this burden was still shared with Wilson. As much as House had always expected to be abandoned by Wilson, the younger man was still here. Still helping him to look after David. Still trying, even though he thought House hated him. House was lost in his thoughts, trying to sort everything out.

Wilson became nervous when House didn't respond. "Greg? Are you still there?"

Wilson had called him Greg. It had been months since House had heard his first name – nobody besides Wilson ever used it. And recently Wilson had been distant, either emotionally or physically. House fought the urge to tell Wilson to come home immediately. He knew if he let Wilson come home without setting some sort of boundaries, that it was very possible that Wilson would stray again. The problem was, House had no idea how to go about setting those boundaries. They were going to need professional help.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter is co-written with naughtybookworm. And we are getting near the end! **

* * *

"I don't want him to think this was okay," House told Dr. Wardner. He looked only at Dr. Wardner, not at Wilson, who was sitting right next to him. Wilson restrained himself from saying anything, just sitting quietly and listening.

"Do you think Dr. Wilson thinks that?" Dr. Wardner asked.

"Not now, but if I take him back –"

"If you what?" Wilson asked excitedly. Dr. Wardner shushed him.

"Dr. Wilson, let Greg talk right now. You'll have a turn in a few minutes."

"Sorry," Wilson said quickly.

"You were saying, if you take him back...?"

House took a deep breath. "Yeah. If I let him come back, won't that send a message that I'm okay with his affair? What if he has another one? How will that be any different? I don't know what to do. How to...do this."

Dr. Wardner tried to clarify. "So you want to forgive James, but you feel that if you do, he might think it's okay to stray again."

"Yes. Exactly."

"Okay, James, _now_ it's your turn."

Wilson took a deep breath. "I _know_ what I did was not okay. I will never hurt you again, House. Greg. I can't stand to see you in this much pain."

House looked at Wilson incredulously. "You've seen me in pain for years and it didn't seem to bother you. 'Got to get House using less Vicodin.' 'It's probably all in House's head.'"

"Emotional pain, I mean," Wilson clarified.

House was becoming exasperated. "Then...why'd you _do_ it? What did you get from her that you don't get from me? Besides the obvious."

"I don't know. She seemed so...she listened to me. Seemed interested in my life; my feelings."

"And I didn't?" House asked quietly. Wilson couldn't answer. Dr. Wardner stepped in.

"If you are feeling that Greg isn't listening to you or interested in you, what will you do differently in the future?" asked Dr. Wardner.

"I don't know. You're the shrink; _you_ tell _me_ what I'm supposed to do."

Dr. Wardner was nonplussed. "First of all, you bring it up with me. We will deal with it right here. Second, you bring it up with Greg. You can't expect him to fix something he's unaware of."

Wilson nodded. "Okay. Sounds reasonable."

Dr. Wardner turned to House. "What do you want to do next?"

House hesitated. He knew Wilson wanted to move back in, but he honestly wasn't ready for that. He also didn't want to get David's hopes up in case it didn't work out after all. "Can we...can we go back to the beginning? Start...seeing each other again?"

"What do you mean?" asked Wilson. "Won't we be seeing each other all the time once I move back home."

House became very quiet. "I'm sorry," he said. "I don't want you to move back home yet. Not...not yet."

"Then...what the hell are we doing here?" Wilson was beginning to feel angry.

"I need to take things slow, Wilson. Please."

Wilson ignored the uncharacteristic politeness. He was too riled up. "How selfish are you going to be here, House? Don't you think David has gone through enough already? How is dragging this out going to help him get back into a secure routine? You just said you wanted to give me another chance. So were you lying or are you actually going to give me a chance?"

House looked down at his lap. He didn't know what to say that wouldn't make Wilson just get angrier. Maybe Wilson was actually right. Maybe he was being selfish – it wasn't unheard of for him. Dr. Wardner stepped in again.

"James, Greg has told you what he needs. Either you accept that, or you don't. There's no need to yell at Greg. Just tell him what your decision is."

"_My decision_? You're not really giving me much of a choice at all here, are you?" Wilson spoke to Dr. Wardner, but House knew the comment was really directed at him. So, so quietly, House answered Wilson.

"Do you want to be with me – on my terms – or is this over?" he asked. Wilson could hear the anguish in the older man's voice. He deflated.

"Of course I want to be with you, House. Of course I do. We'll take it slow. You're right."

House reached out and grabbed Wilson's hand. "I want you back. I want to be with you. But I need for us to fix whatever's broken here first."

Wilson nodded, and the two held hands for a long moment. Finally, House got up and walked out to let Wilson have his own session with Dr. Wardner.

* * *

After House exited her office, Dr. Wardner noticed that Dr. Wilson's puppy-dog eyes were misting over. "Dr. Wilson?"

Wilson blinked away the tears before they brimmed over. "Please call me James."

"What are you feeling right now?"

Wilson shrugged at first, but knew what the psychologist was getting at. "All I have...everything – everyone I love, all that really matters to me in this world is out there in the waiting room."

Dr. Wardner nodded.

"...and I'm not with them."

"How does that make you feel, James?"

Wilson sighed. "It hurts," he whispered. "I miss Greg so much." He sat down. "I'm so angry – with myself. How could I have let this happen, again?"

"What do you miss about Greg?"

"Just being with him. And David." A few tears spilled down Wilson's face and splashed off his lapel.

"Can you be more specific? I'm trying to understand what it is about your relationship that makes you want to be there."

Wilson thought about it for a moment. "He's fun. I miss his brilliance – he challenges me in so many ways. I miss taking care of him. And David."

"We'll get to David in a bit. What else do you miss about Greg?"

"I miss..." Wilson smiled a bit apologetically, and blushed. "I miss making love with him," he whispered. "I miss being in our bed together, and camping out in front of the TV, and..." Wilson sighed again. "I just miss his affection. And being able to touch him." More tears, and a little catch in his voice. "If I touched him now, he'd bite my hand off."

"What led you away from him, James? Why did you have the affair?"

Wilson shook his head. "Damned if I know."

"Were you unhappy in the relationship in any way?"

He shook his head. "No, I was happier than I've been in a long time."

"Was something missing from your intimate relationship with Greg?"

Wilson closed his eyes. Not only was there nothing missing; there was something there that he'd never had before. He enjoyed feeling free to lie back, and let Greg make love to him, rather than always having to be the dominant one all the time. In his relationships with women, he had always been expected to be the aggressor. He was the caretaker, the fixer, the lover, and the breadwinner. And his wives had all been needy of all his roles. Eventually, he got tired of carrying the entire relationship all by himself, and looked elsewhere, for someone else to need him. The guilt would lead him to confessing, then the confession would kill the relationship. And he'd done the exact same thing with House, of all people. House – the one person he thought he could be faithful to.

"No, nothing." Wilson took his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped at his face. He sighed again. "I didn't think I'd ever cheat on Greg. He's not like the others at all."

"How so? You said that you'd been attracted to needy people – there is certainly a neediness factor with Greg. You've said this before, yourself. And David, being a child, is naturally needy."

"I don't mind that so much. Not from Greg. Not from either of them."

"Because you like taking care of people."

Wilson nodded.

"Yet you get tired of being the caretaker after a while, then go elsewhere to someone else who is needy. What are you looking for, James?"

"I wasn't tired of taking care of them. Sure, I work harder than Greg as far as the day-to-day stuff is concerned, but I don't mind. Not with Greg and David."

"Why not?"

"Because I get it all back somehow. Tenfold."

"What do you get?"

"Love," Wilson said without having to think about it for even a second. "I know that they love me. I know Greg considers me the love of his life. I know that. And David – from a child, it's more of a dependent love, but I like that. And I feel it, every time he calls me 'his Wilson,' that that child loves me."

"And if there were no dependence on you – no need – do you think they would still love you?"

"I...don't really know." James looked lost, just imagining his family not needing him. "Every relationship I've ever had has been about me taking care of the other person, to earn..."

"Go on James." Dr. Wardner had his number now."

Wilson shook his head.

"What do you need to earn, James?" asked gently.

Wilson stared down at the sharp creases of his pant legs. "I … I guess I'm used to … I've always felt that I have to earn acceptance. Love." He fiddled with his watchband. "It's always been this way for me."

"What was it like in your family, when you were a child?"

Wilson shook his head sadly. "Probably the same thing. I had these two brothers. One of them was a budding schizophrenic, and a bully to my youngest brother. I was always the buffer between them. Always trying to smooth things over between them. I was always the one who took up the slack between them. "

"Not your parents?"

"No."

"Why not? Wasn't that their job?"

Shrugging, Wilson replied, "I guess it was just easier that way. I tried my best to make it easy on them by dealing with the petty squabbles myself. And I was the one who took care of my little brother, because my parents were always busy with Danny. It was easier, because it kept the peace, and made their lives easier if I just found ways to manage the two of them myself."

"James, what was the payoff?"

Wilson stared at her dumbly.

"What did you get out of it?"

He shrugged again. "Not much, I guess."

"Did they pay you for looking after your brothers? Like a babysitter?"

Wilson shook his head.

"Did you get special privileges as the responsible brother?"

Sheepishly, Wilson told her that he actually had been the middle child.

"Middle...hmmm. Peacemaker, caretaker, buffer." Wardner thought for a few moments. "And did your parents at least appreciate your efforts?

"Sometimes."

"And what happened if you didn't take care of your brothers' needs as you described?"

Wilson shrugged for the millionth time. He was starting to pick up David's habit of shrugging.

"I'm sure you know the answer to that, James. What would happen if you just behaved as a child would, rather than as a surrogate parent?"

"I'm not su..." Wilson's head snapped up, and he stared at Elaine Wardner. "I...I didn't exist," he told her. "I could've just been living in that house alone for all they would notice. They were too busy dealing with Danny's mental illness, even when we were really young." Wilson closed his eyes to help himself think better. "I-I kept out of trouble for them. I became a doctor – for THEM, to make up for losing Danny. I ignored my own...

"What did you ignore, James?"

Tears spilled down Wilson's cheeks again. "I forced... I forced myself to date girls, forced myself to ignore what I really wanted, so that they would have at least one son who wasn't...wasn't a ...failure."

"So you would have dated men exclusively had you not been trying so hard to be the good son?"

Wilson compressed his lips. "I don't know. I'll never know that, now."

"You've built your whole life around the small amounts of love and attention that your parents gave you as long as you did their job."

Wilson didn't answer. He felt he needed to mull that over for a while. "It...it wasn't that they didn't love me." He struggled with himself mentally. "They were just so stretched thin with Danny that they left me, the easy kid, to fend for myself. I guess I did their job to make them notice me."

"Why did you have the affair, James?"

That came out of left field.

"I don't know why. I was happy."

"Do Greg and David ignore you when you don't act as their caretaker? Would they stop loving you if you let them take care of themselves?"

"They can take care of themselves. Unless Greg's in pain, he helps out. Especially with David, but with other things, too. Even David helps out. I guess I just take over out of habit."

"And the affair?"

Wilson didn't want to answer. It made him feel like a fool to say it. "...I think maybe that was out of habit, too."

"Is that really the truth, James?"

"I think...I think so. I didn't even want her," he told Wardner. "I just... I met this woman who was lonely, and needy, and I ended up going on a date with her. I knew I didn't want her. And I didn't attempt to go to bed with her on the first date. Then I couldn't figure out how to get out of it, so we went out again. We did have sex that time, but it was the worst sex I've ever had. I …" he blushed. "I couldn't stay … interested, if you know what I mean."

Dr. Wardner nodded.

"I did what it took to please her that time, and got the hell out of there. I went to the hospital and showered for 30 minutes. Then I went home and made love with Greg until his leg couldn't take any more. I was trying to remove the feel of her from my body."

"But you were with her three times."

"The last time was to break it off. I wanted to tell her in person that I was committed to someone; that this was all a big mistake. And...Greg sneaked into my e-mail and cell phone, and got to experience some of her angry messages, first-hand."

"Were you going to tell him if he hadn't found out that way?"

Wilson looked up. "I don't...know. I wish I could say I was planning on it. But I honestly don't know."

* * *

In the waiting room, House and David were quietly talking.

"You need to go back to school shopping soon," House told David. School would be starting again in just a few weeks. "Want to go this weekend?"

"Can we all go together?" David asked. It went against his nature, but where Wilson was concerned, he was bound and determined to keep pushing.

House thought about it. That might actually be a good idea – it was just the sort of casual, non-threatening activity that two people might do in the beginning of a relationship with each other. They might as well go back-to-school shopping together and see if everything went smoothly.

"Sure. I'll ask Wilson before we leave today."

David thought of something else. "Daddy? Sammy's coming back from camp this weekend. Can he come over soon?"

"No problem; I'll call Liz this weekend." Wilson normally arranged these things, but House felt confident that he could talk to another parent for long enough to set up a play day. It almost made him wonder why he had always let Wilson do it in the first place.

The office door opened, and Wilson walked out. _Speaking of the devil_, House thought. He put on a cheerful expression. "My turn!" he told David.

House and Wilson passed each other in the hall, and Wilson stopped him by placing a hand on House's thin shoulder. House looked down at the hand. A part of him wanted to gather Wilson up in his arms and never let go, but he restrained himself. He settled for grabbing hold of Wilson's hand and gently removing it from his shoulder, gripping it gently the entire time. He held on for an extra few seconds just to let Wilson know that he appreciated the gesture. Then he went into Dr. Wardner's office and shut the door behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, this is it - the last chapter! Of course, the road goes ever on, as Tolkien wrote (I believe). Naughtybookworm is hard at work writing new stories in this verse, and I will probably write a few more, too, once I finish up my other WIP. Hope everyone enjoyed. I know I enjoyed writing this story and borrowing the characters for a while.**

**

* * *

**

Dr. Wardner took a minute to observe David's "grumpy dad." Until this particular period in their lives, Dr. Wardner had not had very many opportunities to interact with the man. Usually it was Dr. Wilson who brought their son in to therapy, and on days that Wilson couldn't make it, Dr. House tended to make himself scarce. At one point Dr. Wardner had thought that Dr. House was a bit of an asshole. Now, she had spoken to him several times, and had found that he actually had a deep sensitivity, although he covered it up very well.

There was something about Dr. House that was so lonely. Dr. Wardner wasn't sure whether that had always been there, or whether splitting up from Wilson had caused it. Either way, it seemed clear that for a long time, Wilson had been a good influence on House. It would be a shame if they couldn't find a way to make it back together. However – there was some work that needed to be done first.

"I have a question for you, Dr. House," Dr. Wardner began. House looked at her with those big, blue eyes, as if to say, _You have my complete attention_.

"Why didn't you fight back when Dr. Wilson accused you of being selfish?"

House didn't answer at first. Dr. Wardner tried another tactic.

"Did you agree with him?"

House reluctantly nodded. Dr. Wardner pushed on, obviously sure of where she wanted the conversation to go, although House was clueless.

"Okay, so it's selfish to want your partner to respect your level of comfort in a relationship?"

House thought back to the conversation with Wilson. "No...not that part. It was selfish of me to deny David the family he's gotten used to."

"But the family hasn't been the same for over a month now," Dr. Wardner clarified. House nodded.

"Yeah. Because I kept messing up."

"No...because Wilson cheated on you."

"And I made him move out."

Ah hah! Now they were at the crux of the matter. "So it was selfish of you to make Wilson move out?"

House was becoming confused. "N-no..."

"Okay, so clue me in. What actions on your part were selfish?"

"When I ignored David for so long," House answered, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. Dr. Wardner let a short silence descend.

"Let's just be clear. Let's not pussyfoot around the issue – you _neglected_ David. That's what you're trying to say, right?"

"Yes," House answered miserably.

"Okay, good. Because that's not a minor issue at all. It's a huge deal, and there was behavior on your part that was verging on illegal. I just want to make sure you understand that."

House nodded, feeling his throat close up. Dr. Wardner eased off, as if that had been her plan all along.

"So this neglect, was it something you did on purpose? Did you mean to neglect David?"

House's head snapped up. "No, of course not!"

"How did it happen, then?"

House sighed. "I guess I was just really depressed, and I didn't...notice things."

"Okay. So because you weren't in your right mind – not because of any premeditated plan or intention on your part – you neglected your son. Am I getting this correctly?" Dr. Wardner feigned ignorance.

House nodded again. Dr. Wardner moved in for the kill.

"Then if you didn't know what you were doing, how was it selfish?"

House could feel his head spinning. She had a very good point. "I'm...not sure."

"Then why are you letting Dr. Wilson tell you that your actions were selfish?"

House thought about it. "He...usually knows about these things."

Dr. Wardner shook her head. "No he doesn't. He was manipulating you. He was hoping that if you got distracted by thinking about your own actions, then he could make you acquiesce to something you weren't actually ready for. You have your own thoughts and feelings, Dr. House. _Don't let Dr. Wilson tell you what you think and feel_. Got it?"

House nodded feebly. Dr. Wardner smiled. "Good. Now, that being said, let's talk about what _you_ feel. What do you see as the next steps with Wilson."

House looked down and fiddled with his cane for a minute. Then he finally admitted, "I want him to move back in just as much as he does. I just..."

"Just what?" Dr. Wardner gently prodded.

"I just want to make sure he – I guess I just want to stall long enough for him to work out whatever it was that lead him to cheat in the first place," House finally blurted out.

Dr. Warnder nodded. That made a lot of sense. "I may have some good news, then. Dr. Wilson had a bit of a breakthrough today – try talking to him. See what he says. What you're feeling makes sense. And you should _trust_ what you're feeling. If you think things are moving too fast, then they are."

House nodded again. "So...do you think it's a good idea for us to just date for a while?"

"I do. And I think, although it will be rough in the short run, in the long run it will be much better for David. You two will have a stronger relationship if you really work on it now, rather than just jumping back in to what wasn't working before."

House thought about that. "It wasn't all bad before. In fact, most of it was pretty...pretty damn good, before. Except for the affair."

Dr. Wardner laughed. "Yeah. Well, something like an affair is not just a minor character flaw. It's symptomatic of something hugely wrong. I think you're very wise to ask Wilson to work through those issues before trying to pretend to return to normalcy."

House nodded, looking at his watch. His time was up. "Thanks, Dr. Wardner. This has been...really helpful. I'll go get David."

Dr. Wardner knew that was just House's way of ending their conversation – David was prone to very similar behavior. But she figured the man had enough to think about already, and let him go.

* * *

The two men took David shopping that weekend. As David roamed the shelves of Staples, looking happier than a kid in a candy store, House decided to put the moves on Wilson.

He came up behind the younger man and wrapped his arm around Wilson's pudgy waist. "We should do something together tomorrow night. Just the two of us."

Wilson shivered. House had a way of being completely seductive, just by using his naturally sexy voice. "What about David?" Wilson protested feebly.

"I called Liz last night. Sammy's back and he wants to have David sleep over at their house. It's the perfect chance for us to get a little alone time."

Wilson grinned. "What exactly did you have in mind?"

House grinned to match Wilson. "Well," he began, "I thought we'd start with dinner at Burger King, progress to the latest Disney movie, and end the evening by attending a church sermon. I believe this week's topic is 'Finding Jesus in Billy Joel: Would You Rather Laugh With The Sinners Or Cry With The Saints?'"

Wilson laughed at House's absurd parody of a bad date night. "Sounds like a blast. I'll have to ask my mom if it's okay to borrow the car. And we have to be home by 11 – I have a Biology test the next day!"

House's eyes twinkled. "No problem. Biology, huh? I'll help you study."

Wilson was about to make a retort when David returned, carrying what appeared to be a lifetime supply of Post-It notes.

"Do you really need all of those?" House asked.

David nodded. "This size is for bookmarking things that you're reading, but that you still want to read. See? They're see-through. Then these two sizes are for writing notes to yourself on papers that you don't want to mark up. Then this size is for bookmarking when you just need to find the page, not the paragraph –"

House held up his hands. "Okay, okay! Get them all. What else do you need?"

"Highlighters!" David replied, his eyes gleaming as if he were about the win the lottery. "And can I get more than one color?"

House and Wilson both laughed. "Next year we're doing this on the internet," House declared. David looked crestfallen. House rolled his eyes and gestured toward the highlighter aisle. "Go crazy."

The two men followed their son in his search for highlighters, walking amicably side by side.

Three stores and several hundred dollars later, Wilson followed House and David home. House rummaged around in the kitchen, looking for something quick and easy to make for dinner. In the living room, David had already curled up with Wilson, and the two were unpacking school supplies and talking excitedly. House just wanted to get back out there and join the two most important people in his life.

House set a pot of water to boiling, and got the box of spaghetti ready. He thought ironically that this had also been David's meal of choice. It was a good choice, too – quick, easy, and cheap. He let the water heat up and went to join David and Wilson.

"And he learned how to ride a horse," David was telling Wilson as he uncapped three highlighters and tested them out on fresh notebook paper. House assumed they were talking about Sammy.

"So what are you two going to do tomorrow night?" Wilson asked, patiently capping one of the highlighters that David had been playing with.

"We're going to watch all three 'Back To The Future' movies," David replied, his eyes wide. "Sammy thinks his mom will let us stay up all night long this time."

Wilson nodded knowingly. He wasn't really worried – he was sure the boys would fall asleep well before then. Well, at least Sammy would. David had been getting far too much experience with insomnia than Wilson was happy with this summer.

"I love 'Back To The Future,'" said House. "Doc Brown is totally awesome. A crazy scientist who lives alone and has wild hair. Who wouldn't love to be that guy?"

"But he didn't stay alone. He found his match," Wilson reminded House. "Remember? In the third movie? He and the school teacher got married and traveled through time together for the rest of...well, eternity."

"Oh yeah," House mused. He was certain there was some profound epiphany he was supposed to have right now; that he should suddenly realize that he, too, wasn't mean to be alone – if Doc Brown could find a lifelong partner, then so could he, and that partner was Wilson.

He didn't have that epiphany. He knew it was just Wilson doing what he did best – manipulating, putting a spin on things. He knew it, and he recognized it, and that's what made him smile at Wilson; nothing else. Wilson _was_ his lifelong partner, no matter what the younger man managed to do to screw things up. Wilson smiled back, and House squeezed Wilson's hand briefly. It wouldn't be tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. But House was certain they would manage to work things out somehow. He reluctantly let go of Wilson's hand, then got up to cook the spaghetti.


End file.
